Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you the one and only John O’Mullowny, hailing from the esteemed town of Derrew, nestled in the rolling hills of County Mayo, Ireland. Young John was not content with the simple life of a farmer or craftsman. No, he yearned for excitement and adventure, and so he turned to a life of crime, specifically horse thievery. And for a time, he was quite successful at it. However, as is often the case with those who dabble in lawlessness, John eventually found himself in hot water. He was arrested and sentenced to death in Castlebar, his fate seemingly sealed.
But fate, it seems, had other plans for John. When the grand jury learned of his less-than-stellar character, they saw an opportunity. They offered John a deal – agree to turn priest hunter and they would spare his life. And so, John became a key player in the hunt for Catholic priests during Penal Times in Ireland. You see, under the 1709 Penal Act, these priests were required to take an Oath of Abjuration and recognize the Protestant Queen Anne as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and Ireland. Those who refused were sentenced to death by the Anglican-controlled judicial system. It was up to John and his ilk to track down and capture these “rogue” clerics.
John O’Mullowny was a man of many talents. He was a master of disguise and deception, using his charm and wit to lure in unsuspecting priests. One of his favorite tricks was to pretend to be gravely ill, calling for a priest to come and confess his sins before he met his maker. When the unsuspecting cleric arrived, John would reveal his knife, hidden under the bedclothes, and try to capture or kill the confessor. It was a risky move, but one that often paid off for John. And with the money he earned from his captures – £100 for an archbishop or bishop, £20 for a priest, £10 for a hedge school teacher, and a measly £5 for a priest in training – he was able to indulge in his expensive tastes and love of heavy drinking.
But John’s reign of terror was not meant to last forever. As he hunted down and murdered more and more priests, he became increasingly unpopular and hated by all. And so, when he finally killed all but two of the priests in his area, those last two knew they had to be extra careful. They lived in disguise, hoping to avoid detection. But unfortunately for one of them, O’Mullowny eventually discovered him and killed him.
The final priest, however, was no fool. He knew that O’Mullowny would be expecting him to attend the funeral, and so he came dressed as a woman, in the hopes of avoiding detection. But alas, O’Mullowny was not fooled by the disguise. He attacked the priest at the funeral, determined to claim his final prize.
But little did O’Mullowny know, this priest was not one to go down without a fight. Unlike the other priests who had been ambushed and taken by surprise, this one was ready for O’Mullowny’s attack. He fought back with all his might, holding off the wicked priest hunter long enough for a homeless man by the name of McCann to come to the rescue. With a quick stab of his knife, McCann ended O’Mullowny’s reign of terror once and for all.
And so, John O’Mullowny, also known as Seán na Sagart or John of the Priests in Irish, was buried in the graveyard at Ballintubber Abbey, a fitting end for such a hated and feared individual.
