Daniel Delany

Daniel Delany DD (b. Jan. 1747, Paddock, Mountrath, Laois, Ireland-d. 1814) was the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. He was born on the first of two sons into a farming family in January 1747. His father and younger brother died when Daniel was still young, and his mother, Elizabeth Delany (née Fitzpatrick) sent him to her sisters to be cared for and to develop an education. Daniel received his early education at a Hedge School, near his home.

In 1763 at the age of 16 Delany went to Paris to study for his priesthood at the Irish College, Paris and was ordained a priest in 1771 at the age of 24. For the next six years Delany taught theology at Saint-Omer in France, but returned to Ireland in 1776.

When back in Ireland Delany took up the position of assistant priest in Tullow in 1777.

Catholic education in Ireland had been denied to the people of Ireland since the sixteenth century, in consequence many of the population suffered from poverty, hunger and drunkenness. Delany tried hard to bring back the traditional Catholic education to the community. He started by the establishment of Sunday schools, which targeted to educate the youth. Also to target the youth Delany formed a band to help teach his students hymns. Soon older people of the community started to join these classes to develop a Catholic education.

In 1781 Elizabeth Delany died, leaving Daniel Delany all her property. Delany invested portion of this property left to him and the interest went to charities. Delany also distributed prayer books to children on the day of their first communion.

In April 1783 Delany was appointed Coadjustor Bishop to the Sea of Kildare. Soon afterwards he took up the motto "Fortiter et Suaviter", and on the 17th February 1788 Delany received faculties as Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin.

With the relaxation of Penal Code, many Irish priests including Delany worked to rebuild churches, monasteries, convents and schools. Following the relaxation of the penal laws and his predecessors work he opened St. Patrick's, Carlow College for the education both lay students and those studying for the priesthood. He opposed the 1798 rebellion. In 1807 Delany refounded the Congregation of St. Brigid the Brigidine Sisters, and in 1808 he founded the Congregation of Patrician Brothers in Tullow, county Carlow. A year after in 1809 Delany also erected a temple in the Convent grounds in Tullow. Also in the convent gardens Delany planted an oak sapling from Kildare. Today many of the Brigidine communities have an oak tree growing from the seed of an oak tree in Kildare.

Bishop Delany died at 2:00 on the morning of the 9th July, 1814.

His cousin Dr. Butler was Archbishop of Cashel.