Thurles Information

Update on Memorial plaque, unveiled to the Right Reverend John Ryan, [Doctor of Divinity (DD)], late Bishop of Limerick, in the village of Two-Mile-Borris, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

A large crowd was in attendance on Tuesday October 1st, 2024 last, in the village of Two-Mile-Borris, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, when a memorial plaque was unveiled to the Right Reverend John Ryan (DD), late Bishop of Limerick (1828-1864).

The Plaque was unveiled by the now retired Bishop of Killala, Right Revd. John Fleming, on the site of his parents’ grave, latter situated in the old section of Two-Mile-Borris cemetery, currently being superbly restored.

Who was Right Reverend John Ryan DD?

In his Homely, the former retired Bishop of Killala, Right Revd. John Fleming, stated quote:-

“I am happy to represent the present Bishop of Limerick, Bishop Brendan Leahy, to honour Patrick and Catherine Ryan and to recognise the enormous contribution which their son, Bishop John Ryan, made to the development of the diocese of Limerick over a period of thirty nine years, from his consecration as Coadjutor in1825 until his death in 1864. Being a Ryan from Tipperary his birth could lead to a certain confusion at any time but born during the second half of the 18th century, when record keeping was still in its infancy, made the problem even greater. However, the records of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, now confirm that aged nineteen years, he entered Maynooth in September 1803 and was ordained priest seven years later, in 1810.

His first appointment as a curate was to see him living in County Limerick for the first time, in Doon, and so began the connection with the County which was to last for over fifty years. His first acquaintance with Limerick City came soon afterwards when, according to James Roche, essayist, banker and one of the founding fathers of U.C.C., and I quote ‘he was a travelling tutor on the Continent to one of my nephews who owes everything to his care and kindness’. After about two years abroad he returned to Doon, becoming Parish Priest and following that was appointed Parish Priest of Mullinahone/Drangan (Co. Tipperary).

In 1825, with fifteen years of pastoral and European experience behind him, he was consecrated Co-Adjutor Bishop of Limerick, with the right to succeed Bishop Tuohy, who died three years later, in 1828. Bishop Ryan’s episcopate of 39 years in all was to be the longest in the post Reformation history of the diocese, followed only by another priest from the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, Edward Thomas O’Dwyer.

Bishop Ryan became bishop on the crest of a wave of support for the Catholic Church in Ireland. Over the decades of his episcopate, it’s growing confidence, supported by its catholic population, saw it make a remarkable contribution to education, hospital care, social work and, in particular church building. Catholic Emancipation came within a year of him becoming bishop of Limerick. The fervour and support which that generated marked Bishop Ryan’s entire episcopate and flowed into that of many of his successors. With great goodwill and support for the Church, forward pastoral planning became the prevailing motive of the day. Construction became a key word in everyday Catholic thought and the Church’s mission to care for the poor and the neglected became the focus of so many ordinary Catholics, encouraging men to join the priesthood at home and abroad, as well as inspiring young women to found and then to join the new religious congregations. Bishop Ryan focused his attention therefore on a number of these specific projects, namely the building of a new, imposing Cathedral for Limerick, support for Catholic education, both primary and secondary, as well the enlargement of the parish structure of the diocese.

Statistics should never form part of a homily. However, in order to do him justice and to recognise the enormous contribution which Bishop Ryan made to the diocese of Limerick it is necessary to distil his thirty nine year episcopate into a few facts. When he became bishop there were 39 parishes in the diocese. When he died there were 48. When he became bishop two female religious congregations were beginning their work in the diocese. When he died there were four well established female congregations at work. The Presentation and Mercy Sisters were educating about 1000 girls in 1828. When he died, the number had risen to well over two thousand. Within the Sisters, the Mercy Sisters alone went from one convent in 1828 to five in 1864. All of them built imposing structures, many of which still exist even if no longer used by the Sisters.
At the time of his death the education of what were termed ‘poor female children’ in 1825 extended to the ’education of young ladies’. By then, female religious in the diocese in fact provided services and care for what were termed ‘poor female children’, ‘young ladies’, the ‘Magdalen Asylum’, ‘Penitents. All of this says nothing of the work of the Christian Brothers or of the diocesan priests and the Jesuits; their work supported and guided by Bishop Ryan, in providing education for young men at primary and secondary levels.

When he became bishop a report on the diocese noted that ‘chapels are small but in very good order’. By the time of his death he had laid the foundation stone for St John’s Cathedral (Limerick) in 1856, seen the First Mass celebrated there in 1859 and the opening of the Cathedral in 1861, with the consecration of his successor, Bishop Butler.
St John’s Cathedral still stands as a monument to his work as bishop and to the generosity and support of the entire diocese of Limerick given to his efforts. Indeed, quite remarkably, the support which he received extended across the religious divide, with contributions from the Church of Ireland. He now lies under the sanctuary of the Cathedral, in front of what was the High Altar at the time of his death.
Almost sixteen hundred years of Christianity have now passed in our country. The ebb and flow of this has been well recorded in Limerick with the rise and decline of the monasteries at Mungret and Ardpatrick, the coming of the Franciscans, Augustinians, Dominicans, Trinitarians and Cistertians to places like Adare, Kilmallock and Manister, their suppression in the sixteenth century, the Penal laws and their easing in the eighteenth century and finally Emancipation in the early nineteenth century. I suggest that Providence and history have been kind to Bishop Ryan in placing him in leadership on the crest of a wave of support for the Church, allowing him to make a remarkable contribution to its development.
Today, therefore, we mark and celebrate that unique time and the remarkable Tipperary man, a son of this place, who was its leader in the diocese of Limerick.”

A Rarely Seen Lock Of Hair. (see slide show above)
Courtesy of Mr David Bracken (Limerick Diocesan Archivist), a rarely seen lock of Bishop Ryan’s hair was shown at the unveiling ceremony, latter loaned for the event by the Sisters of Mercy, Limerick .

Amongst the clergy in attendance at the event were Fr. Joe Tynan, PP., Knocklong, Co. Limerick; Fr. Jimmy Donnelly, PP., Doon, Co. Limerick; Mgr. Christy O’Dwyer, AP., VG., Templetuohy/Moyne, Thurles; Fr. George Bourke, AP., Moycarkey; Canon Gerard Garrett, (Moderator of the Pastoral Unit comprising of the parishes of St John’s, St. Michael’s, St Patrick and St Brigid’s and Monaleen, Limerick), and local Two-Mile-Borris parish priest Fr. Tom Fogarty, PP. latter who conducted the memorial ceremony.

This event saw a truly communal coming-together of Two-Mile-Borris village residents, which calls for a huge thanks in particular to Ms Miriam Bourke, Ms Josephine Cantwell, Ms Geraldine Bourke-Barnaville, Ms Breda Bowe, and Ms Cait Power, for their excellent catering prowess.

Principal organisers of the event, Mr Gerry Bowe, (Chairperson, Two-Mile-Borris, Old Cemetery Committee), and Mr Enda Bourke (Secretary, Two-Mile-Borris, Old Cemetery Committee) would also like to thank “Relish Fine Foods & Delicatessen”, Castlemeadows, Thurles, Co. Tipperary; Corcoran’s Lounge, Two-Mile-Borris, Thurles, Co. Tipperary; Seamstress Ms Mary Clancy, Two-Mile-Borris and Mr Pat Corbett Video Production Service, Thurles, for their assistance in the sponsoring and their support of this most successful of events.

NOTA BENE: A live video of Bishop John Ryan’s Memorial Service Mass ©, will remain available to be downloaded by the public, free, for the next 21 days only; kind permission and courtesy of Mr Pat Corbett, (Video Production Service). The download link can be located by CLICKING HERE.