Cahal Brendan Daly KGCHS (born Charles Brendan Daly, 1 October 1917 – 31 December 2009) was a Roman Catholic cardinal, theologian and writer from County Antrim. He was later created a Cardinal-Priest of S. Patrizio by Pope John Paul II in the consistory of 28 June 1991.

Early life

Charles Brendan Daly was born in Ballybraddin, Loughguile, a village near Ballymoney in County Antrim, the third child of seven born to Charles Daly and Susan Connolly. His father was a primary school teacher originally from Keadue, County Roscommon, and his mother a native of Antrim. He was educated at St. Patrick's National School in Loughguile, and then as a boarder in St. Malachy's College, Belfast, in 1930. The writer Brian Moore was a near contemporary. From 1974 onwards, he devoted himself especially to ecumenical activities for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. His pastoral letter to Protestants, written in 1979, pleaded for Christian unity.

Daly succeeded William Philbin as the 30th Bishop of Down and Connor when he was installed as bishop of his native diocese at a ceremony in St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast, on 17 October 1982. Cardinal Daly took a notably harder line against the Irish Republican Army (IRA) than his predecessor, Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich. and opposed integrated education of Catholics and Protestants. This policy was criticised by those who saw segregated education as one of the causes of sectarianism in Northern Ireland, but was seen by the Catholic clergy as important for passing on their faith to future generations. He was utterly orthodox in opposing divorce, contraception, abortion, the ordination of women and any idea of dropping clerical celibacy.

He was heckled by the audience on live television during a broadcast of The Late Late Show on RTÉ One on the topic of paedophilia in the 1990s. After his retirement in 1996 he made no public statement on the issue.

Daly retired as Archbishop of Armagh on his 79th birthday, 1 October 1996, and subsequently suffered ill health. Although it was announced that he would attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II, he stayed home on the advice of his doctors. His age made him ineligible to participate in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

In 1967 Daly took as his episcopal motto, "Jesus Christ, yesterday and today", taken from and his armorial bearings were a personalised variation of the arms of the Ó Dálaigh family. As Archbishop of Armagh he impaled them with those of the Archdiocese of Armagh.

Declining health and death

Cardinal Daly was admitted to the coronary unit of Belfast City Hospital on 28 December 2009. His health had already been declining, leading to prayers being ordered for him. Dr Daly died in hospital in Belfast on 31 December 2009, aged 92. His family were at his bedside at the time.

In tributes, both Taoiseach Brian Cowen and former UK prime minister Tony Blair stressed Cardinal Daly's contribution to the peace process in Northern Ireland. and then his remains were taken to Armagh. Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute at this stage. Large numbers of people travelled from as far as County Westmeath to attend Mass at Armagh on 4 January, at which Monsignor Liam McEntaggart, the former parish priest of Coalisland, said, "When the history of peace making in Ireland comes to be written, the contribution of Cardinal Daly will be accorded a high place". Monsignor McEntaggart himself died on 22 August 2010, aged 81, less than eight months after Cardinal Daly's passing.

Daly's funeral was held on 5 January 2010, attended by the president Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Brian Cowen. Cardinal Daly was buried in the grounds of St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Armagh next to his three predecessors in the see, Cardinals Ó Fiaich, Conway and D'Alton.

Two of his speeches feature in Teachers of the Faith: Speeches and Lectures by Catholic Bishops, a book of international addresses by members of the clergy spanning 26 years.

See also

  • Roman Catholicism in Ireland

References

  • Archdiocese of Armagh (Archived)
  • The Ferns Report
  • Catholic Hierarchy
  • Obituary in The Daily Telegraph (Archived)
  • Obituary in The Guardian
  • Obituary in The Irish Times (Archived)
  • Homily from funeral (Archived)