Andrew Quinn

Very Rev. Monsignor Andrew Quinn,

P.P. Dun Laoire,

(1808 – 1885)

 

Andrew Quinn was born on the 3rd November 1808 in the home of his parents, Matthew and Mary (nee Doyle ) at Rathmore, Eadstown Co. Kildare.

Matthew’s father and his two brothers operated a shared farm in a manner designed by their father who had come from the North of Ireland, as a disadvantaged Catholic landowner, having been ousted from his home and property as a result of rebellions that took place against the tyranny existing in that part of the country. As faith would have it this arrangement was handed down and persisted for four generations. It came to an end in 1939 when their homes and lands were submerged under the Blessington lakes, created to provide a supply of water and electricity.

Matthew Quinn married a local girl from Baltiboys, Mary Doyle, and they set up their home on a farm of some eighty acres leased from The Tenneson Estate in Rathmore. This was about ten miles distant from his birthplace in Ballinahown.

Andrew was possibly the eldest son, born into a family that may not have been then, but was certainly to become one where ecclesiastical expectations were to abound and in time to be achieved. He had the privilege of attending private schools, arranged for him by his uncle Fr. Doyle, who later brought him to the Irish College in Rome, on the 27th October 1826, to begin his ministry in the priesthood. He was one of the first students after the Napoleonic break, which had closed the College for a number of years.

At the early age of 20 years and less than two years at the Irish College he showed signs of his future as an upstanding man of the Church. In demonstrating this he penned a letter to Fr. Doyle on the 12th of April 1828, the contents of which were explosive, to say the least. It began “Dear Uncle” scarcely indicating that he intended his letter to arrive in the hands of the Venerable Dr. Daniel Murray, Archbishop of Dublin, where in time it did and is available for posterity in the Archbishop’s correspondence files.

Fr. Doyle felt it was his duty to give the letter to his superior Dr. Boylan, who then forwarded it to The Archbishop. One passage from the letter is sufficient to highlight the thinking of this young Irish student in Rome:

I must be extremely careful in the wording of any letter I write for fear that the rector Dr. Blake might see fit at any time to read it and that could place me in a very awkward situation. Dr. Blake has never read my letters but always seals them before my face.

Dr. Blake has had many enemies in Rome, some of whom I believe went as far as to say that it would be dangerous to allow students of Maynooth in Rome, as there are some unsound doctrines taught here.

 

Dr. Blake intends to visit Ireland shortly and his successor has been long since appointed by Dr. Murray. Who has sometime back informed him that the appointment falls on Mr. Brennan P.P. of Kildare and that there was no obstacle then to be removed except the separation from his fond parishioners. If Mr. Brennan will be adapted to the task then there is no doubt that he will retrieve our character and take up the now drooping affairs of the Irish in this formally flourishing state.”

Andrew’s letter to Fr. Doyle concluded;

I remain, Sir.

Your most obliged and ever- grateful nephew, A. Quinn.

As it so happened Dr. Blake was replaced on the 8th of October 1828, not by Mr. Brennan (a title used to protect priests), but by Dr. Christopher Boylan. Dr. Blake returned to Dublin and became administrator and later Parish Priest of St. Andrew’s Parish, Westland Row, where he was responsible for the erection of St. Andrew’s Church. On St. Patrick’s Day 1833 he was consecrated bishop of Dromore. Dr. Boylan was replaced by Dr. Paul Cullen on the 15th of March 1832.

Andrew Quinn was ordained priest on the 2nd of February 1833 for the diocese of Dublin. On the 6th of May 1833 he wrote a letter to Dr. Paul Cullen, during his trip back to Dublin,  catalogued as :

My dear Mr. Cullen,

 

We arrived here safe and sound on Saturday 4th and of course have seen all of Milan. The only thing worthy of notice that we observed during the journey was the appalling rigor of the Government in the Roncogica and Bolognese territory, especially at Faenza, where the unfortunate citizens are obliged to be within doors at an early hour, and to remain there till sunrise. In Bologna, Modena, Parma and some other places the cannons are planted in the Piazzas; the guard reinforced at night and all the prisons full of unfortunate convicts awaiting their sentence. At Faenza alone 200 had been imprisoned a few days before we passed through it. In Ancona tho’ the French have everything, excepting the annoyance of examining passports in their hands and a Sentinal at the door of every public establishment. Still trade flourishes and business goes on as far as can be judged from appearances, just as if nothing had ever happened.

 

Almost every city we passed thro’ in the Pope’s territory seemed to be abandoned by all who had any interest in their existence, and the few individuals we saw from time to time betrayed the tenor and distrust they laboured to suppress. Ancona alone was full of people and of bustle, as if the presence of the French inspired confidence and encouraged business. At Bologna our courier sold us to a Frenchman, who has treated us even better than the former, and with whom we have agreed for the sum of 700 Francs between us three, from Milan to Paris.

 

From Rome to Bologna we suffered a good deal from dining late and starting early, but since we got the Frenchman we are much better; he never starts until about 6 o’clock a.m., nor is he ever out after 6 in the evening.  We expect that he will treat us very well to Paris. Cassidy has diverted us so much that we scarcely felt the tiredness of travelling; he is fast recovering from indigestion.  I am much better than when I was in Rome, though recovering from a headache, which I think arose from the glare and the heat of the sun. Hope in writing a letter ,I support to the cause of Propaganda. Please give my respects to Mr. Loughlin, Guinty, Corr,  Collier.

                                                     Yours Dc.

                                                         A Quinn.

 

The Mr. Cullen, who Andrew Quinn wrote this letter to, was Monsignor Paul Cullen then Rector of the Irish College in Rome. He would later be appointed Archbishop of Armagh and then Archbishop of Dublin. As such he blessed and dedicated The Church of Our Lady of Mercy, at Cross Chapel, as the Parish church of Blessington Co. Wicklow in the year 1858. He was later appointed as Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin. The use of the title Mister when referring to Priests was to mask their identity and protect them from dangers pertaining to members of the priesthood in troubled times.

Father Andrew returned to Dublin and his first appointment was as curate in Saint Andrews Church, Westland Row, where he served from 1838 until1853. He was appointed Parish Priest of Athy, Co. Kildare in 1854 and served as such until 1879. The following honours were bestowed on him over the years:

As Canon Andrew Quinn he was appointed Parish Priest of Kingstown (now Dun Laoire) in 1879 and was later appointed Monsignor and was there until his death on the 24th of June 1885, aged 77 years. He was very reluctant to leave Athy and only did so to oblige his friend, The Rev. Edward McCabe who was Parish Priest of Dun Laoire and who had been chosen as Archbishop of Dublin, to replace the Late Dr Paul Cullen. Mc Cabe wanted a safe pair of hands to replace him in Dun Laoire and  asked Quinn to move back to Dublin.

His increasing infirmities did not permit him to embark on any new undertakings in Kingstown. He is buried in Deans Grange cemetery.