Daniel O'Daly facts for kids
Daniel O'Daly (born 1595, died 1662) was an important Irish Dominican priest. He was also a diplomat (someone who represents their country) and a historian (someone who studies and writes about the past). He helped set up a special college in Lisbon, Portugal. This college, called Corpo Santo, was for Irish students who wanted to become priests.
Contents
About Daniel O'Daly
Daniel O'Daly was born in County Kerry, Ireland. His family, the Ó'Dálys, were known as bards or storytellers for a powerful family called the Geraldines.
He became a Dominican in Tralee, County Kerry. He took his vows in Lugo, Spain, and studied in Burgos, also in Spain. There, he started using the name Dominic de Rosario. He earned a special degree in theology from Bordeaux, France, and then returned to Tralee as a priest.
Setting Up Colleges
In 1627, Daniel O'Daly was sent to teach and lead a new college for Irish Dominicans. This college was at Louvain University in Flanders (modern-day Belgium).
Two years later, in 1629, he traveled to Madrid, Spain, for college business. He saw that King Philip IV of Spain supported his ideas. With help from three other Irish Dominicans, he opened the Irish Dominican College in Lisbon, Portugal. He became its first leader, called a rector.
The friars (Dominican priests) were given a property that included the Chapel of Corpo Santo. This chapel was named after Saint Elmo, who is the patron saint of sailors. The friars at Corpo Santo helped both Portuguese people and English speakers. The church and its buildings were destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. But by 1770, they were rebuilt in a new place.
Convent for Nuns
O'Daly also had an idea to build a convent for Irish Dominican nuns near Lisbon. This was for Irish girls who wanted to become nuns. King Philip agreed, but only if O'Daly could gather Irish soldiers for Spain's army in the Low Countries.
O'Daly sailed to Limerick, Ireland, and found the soldiers. When he returned to Madrid in 1639, a place called Santa Maria de Belém was chosen. It was on the Tagus River, a few miles from Lisbon. With help from the Countess of Atalaya, the convent of Our Lady of Bom Successo was built.
Diplomatic Work
In December 1641, the Portuguese Restoration War began. This was when Portugal fought to become independent from Spain. The Duke of Braganza became King John IV of Portugal. At this time, other revolts were happening in Spain.
The war lasted into the 1660s. The main goal for Portugal was to get other countries to recognize their new kingdom. This was especially important during the Thirty Years' War in Europe. Father O'Daly became a senior diplomat for Portugal. He worked for many years to help Portugal gain recognition.
King John made him a special envoy (a diplomatic representative) to several important leaders. He went to King Louis XIV of France, King Charles I of England, and later to the exiled King Charles II Stuart. He also met with Pope Innocent X in 1650. Queen Luisa of Portugal also sent him to meet with Pope Alexander VII.
In 1655, he was sent to France to make a treaty between Portugal and France. He was very successful in his diplomatic missions. Even though he had many chances to serve the Portuguese royal family, he never accepted any special titles or honors for himself. People who knew him praised his honesty and good judgment.
He turned down offers to become the Archbishop of Braga, the Primate of Goa, and the Bishop of Coimbra. He also refused the titles of Privy Councillor (a royal advisor) and the Queen's Confessor, even though he did these jobs.
During these years, his main goal was to make his college strong. He wanted it to help Ireland as much as possible. The Bom Successo convent became too small for all the students. In 1659, he started building a larger building, which was also called Corpo Santo. To get money for these buildings, he agreed to become the Bishop of Coimbra and the President of the royal Privy Council. However, he died in Lisbon in 1662 before the official document from the Pope arrived.
His body was buried in the cloister (a covered walkway) of Corpo Santo. The words on his tomb said he was "Successful in embassies for kings... A man distinguished for prudence, knowledge and virtue." After the 1755 earthquake, a new college and church were built in the same spot, with the same name and purpose.
His Writings
In 1665, soon after he died, Daniel O'Daly's book was published. It was called Initium, Incrementum, et Exitus Familiæ Geraldinorum. This book was about the Earls of Desmond, a powerful Irish family. He used his family's traditional knowledge to write it.
The first part of the book describes where the Geraldines of Munster came from. It tells about their changing fortunes and how they ended up fighting for their faith and homeland. The second part talks about the harsh treatment of Irish Catholics. It also tells the stories of twenty Dominican martyrs, many of whom had been with him in Lisbon. The book was later translated into English by the Irish historian Father C.P. Meehan and published in 1849 and 1878.
See also
- Dominicans in Ireland
