Author: Coyle, Antony
Biography:
COYLE, Antony (1728-1801: DIB)
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Raphoe, he was born at Listack, near Letterkenny in County Donegal. His father was a farmer but the names of his parents are not known. He was sent to the Irish College in Paris to be educated but was expelled in 1755 for allegedly writing a pamphlet critical of the college. He completed his studies at the University of Nantes, earning his DD, and returned to Ireland to become the parish priest in Letterkenny from about 1757. Politically he was pro-Union and supported the Hanoverians; he preached in Irish but wrote in English. He was a controversial figure because of his autocratic manner and independent views, but he was on good terms with the Anglican Bishop of Derry. In 1782 he became the Bishop of Raphoe and was active in serving the diocese, including attempting to curb excessive drinking among the priests. His health declined in the 1790s and he died on 22 Jan. 1801. He was buried at Templedouglas, County Donegal. He published one other poem, On the Passion of Our Saviour, which DIB dates to 1799 but no copy has been located. (DIB 6 Jan. 2022; John J. Silke, “Bishop Coyle’s Pious Miscellany,” Eighteenth Century Ireland 9 [1994] 114-28) SR
Other Names:
- the late Right Rev. Dr. Coyle