IRISH
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IRISH
academic course, left for the mission in Ireland in
1640, and suffered tleath for the Faith ten years later.
The first Jesuit rector Ijecame General of the Society;
he was succeeded by Father James Forde, who was
succeeded in 1637 by Father William Malone, a
successful combatant in controversy with Archbishop
Usher. In 1650 Monsignor Scarampo of the Ora-
tory, on his return from his embassy to the Kilkenny
'Confederation, Ijrought with him two students to the
Irish college; one was Peter Walsh, who became a
•distinguished Oratorian; the other was Oliver Plunket,
who was kept in Rome as professor at Propaganda
until his appointment to the See of Armagh in 1670,
whence he was promoted to a martyr's crown at
Tyburn. Philip deary's name is amongst those
whose cause is before the Congregation of Rites;
and the cau.se of Oliver Plunket is so far advanced
that his Alma Mater hopes ere long to venerate him
•on the altar of its chapel. In the archives of the
■college is preserved an autograph of Oliver Plunket,
■written by him when he was about to leave. John
Brennan, one of his contemporaries, also became
professor at Propaganda ; whence he was appointed
Bishop of Waterford, and then Archbishop of Cashel.
Soon after came several remarkable students —
Ronan Maginn; James Cusack, Bishop of Meath;
PeterCreagh, successively Bishop of Cork and Cloyne,
and Archbishop of Dublin.
In the early part of the eighteenth century, one of the students, Roch MacMahon, made his name in Irish history as Bishop of Clogher; another, Hugh MacMahon, Archbishop of Armagh, asserted the precedence of that see to Dublin in a work of great learning, "Jus Primatiale Armacanum ". Richard Reynolds at the end of his course was kept in Rome as tutor to the children of the Pretender; James Gallagher became Bishop of Kildare. When we con- sider that the college had never more than eight students at a time, and had often so few as five, if it had produced no other distinguished alumni than those named, it would have well deserved these words written by the Irish primate, Hugh MacMahon, to the rector: " If the college on account of its slender resources cannot furnish many soldiers, it provides brave and skilful captains. " It was then known as the "Serainarium Episcoporum" or nursery of bish- ops. In other ways, however, the college had its trials and clianges. It came into financial diffi- culties. The villa at C'astel Gandolfo was sold to the Jesuit novitiate in 1667, and yet the difficulties did not disappear. It was thought, moreover, that too large a proportion of the able students found a vocation to the Society of Jesus, in spite of the purpose of the college, which trained them for the mission in Ire- land. Complaints as to administration were also made, and a Pontifical Commission was deputed to make an official intjuiry. Its report was not fa- vourable to the Jesuits, and in September, 1772, the college was withdrawn from their control. The present writer thinks that the Jesuits were not without some plausible pleas to justify their managernent of the college; and it would be strange if a close inquiry into a rectorate of 137 years did not reveal some in- stances of mismanagement.
The college now passed from the care of the Jesuits, and an Italian priest, the Abbate Luigi Cuccagni, was made rector. He was a man of acknowledged ability. Hurter says that he was the ablest of the controversialists who wrote against that form of Jansenism which was patronized by Joseph II, sup- ported by the Synod of Pistoia, and had its citadel in the University of Pavia. He was the author of several works which were in high repute in those days; and from the Irish College he edited the "(liornale Ecclesiastico di Roma", then the leading Catholic periodical in Rome. The fir.st prefect of studies ai)i)oiiited imder his rectorate was the famous Pietro
Tamburini, who afterwards became the leader of
Jansenism at Pavia. During his prefectship he
delivered his lectures on the Fathers which were
afterwards published at Pavia. He had to leave
the college after four years; and although some very
brilliant students were there in his time, it does not
appear that he tried to leave, or if he tried, that he
succeeded in leaving, any unorthodox influence on
their minds. The rectorate of Cuccagni came to an
end in 179S, when the college was closed by order of
Napoleon; and thus we come to the close of another
period of its history. During those twenty-six years
it quite equalled its previous prestige. For. although
the number of its stiulents was sometimes as low
as three, it sent forth Dr. Lanigan the historian, who
was promoted directly from being a student of the
Irish College to the chair of Scripture at Pavia ; Dr.
Charles O'Connor, author of "Scriptores Rerum
Hibernicarum", and several other works; James B-
Clerigh, who never became a priest, but was a well-
known Catholic leader in Ireland a century ago; Dr.
Ryan, Bishop of Ferns; Dr. McCarthy, Coadjutor
Bishop of Cork; Dr. Blake, Bishop of Dromore.
Dr. Blake, who was the last student to leave the college at its dissolution in 1798, returned a quarter of a century later to arrange for its revival, which was effected by a Brief of Leo XII, dated 18 Feb., 1826. He became the first rector of the restored college, and amongst the first students who sought admission was Francis Mahony, of Cork, known to the literary world as Father Prout. Having set the college well at work, Dr. Blake returned to Ireland, and was succeeded by Dr. Boylan, of Maynooth, who soon resigned and died in 1830. He was suc- ceeded by a young priest who had just completed a singidarly brilliant course at Propaganda, and who governed it with great success till 1849, when he liecame Archbishop of Armagh, then Archbishop of Dublin, and finally Cardinal CuUen. Within two years of his rectorate he had forty students in the college; and to provide proper accommodations for the increasing numbers who sought admission, the present building with the church of St. Agatha was given to the college in 1835 by Gregory XVI. Two years later Dr. Cullen purchased a fine country villa as a summer home for the students, amid the olive groves which cover the slopes of the Sabine hills near Tivoli. Amongst the distinguished students who passed through the college during Dr. Cullen's rectorate were: Rev. C. P. Meehan; Dr. Edmund O'Reilly, S.J.; Archbishop Croke; Cardinal Moran; Archbishop Dunne of Brisbane.
Dr. Cullen was succeeded by Dr. Kirby, well known for his holiness of life. He governed the college for more than forty years. His successor was Michael Kelly, the present coadjutor to the Archbishop of Sydney. The college has received several privileges of various kinds from popes. Before 1 870 the students had the privilege of carrying the balilacchinn part of the way during the procession on the feast of ('orpus Christi, on which occasion the pope carried the Blessed Sacrament. Gregory XVI paid a visit to the college in 1837; and on St. Patrick's Day, 1860, Pius IX assisted at Mass in the college church, after which he held a reception at the college. In memory of his visit he presented a rich set of vestments to the college. A similar gift was made to the college during this present year (1909) by Pius X, in memory of his jubilee. The heart of Daniel O'Connell is buried in the college church.
Archives of the Irish College, Rome; La Relazione del Cardinale Marefoschi; Hurter, Nomenclator; Giornale Ecclesiastico di Roma (1780-1798). M. O'RiORDAN.
Irish Colleges, on the Continent. — The reli- gi(]iis persecution under Elizabeth and James I led to the sujipression of the monastic schools in Ireland in which the clergy for the most part received their
