author
Thomas Connellan
b. 1854
An Irish priest and writer whose life took a dramatic turn, he became known for leaving the Catholic church and speaking publicly about that break. His story sits at the crossroads of faith, controversy, and late 19th-century Ireland.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in County Sligo in the mid-1850s, Thomas Connellan studied at Summerhill College and Maynooth before being ordained a Catholic priest for the diocese of Elphin in 1880. He served as a curate in Sligo and Athlone, and later became a writer whose name was closely tied to religious debate in Ireland.
Connellan is best remembered for leaving the Catholic church and joining the Church of Ireland, a decision that made him a striking and controversial figure in his time. He wrote about his change in belief and addressed Irish Catholic readers directly in print, giving his work a personal and argumentative style.
He died on January 11, 1917. Details about him are limited in easily available sources, but the outline of his life remains vivid: a clergyman, author, and convert whose public break with his former church drew lasting attention.