St Oliver Plunkett 1625-1681
Born at Loughcrew, County Meath. Studied in
Rome. Appointed Archbishop of Armagh in 1869. After the Popish Plot of 1678,
Plunkett was arrested and imprisoned in Dublin Castle. He was brought to London
and found guilty of high treason. He was hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. He
was beatified in 1920, and canonised in 1975. It was said that the remains were
exhumed and taken to Germany for safe keeping and eventually came to rest at the
Benedictine Abbey of Downside in Somerset, England. His
head and other relics
are in St. Peters Church, West Street, Drogheda, Co Louth.
