November 14, 1669

On this day in 1669, Oliver Plunkett became Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. Plunkett was born in Co. Meath in 1629 and his education was entrusted to his uncle, Patrick Plunkett, Abbot of St. Mary’s. He aspired to be a priest from a young age. Plunkett studied at the Irish College in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1654. Irish bishops chose Plunkett to act as their representative in Rome. After becoming Archbishop of Armagh, Plunkett returned to Ireland in 1670. He set about restoring the Roman Catholic church in Ireland after it had been ravaged by Cromwell. He built several schools, including the first religiously integrated Jesuit College in Drogheda.