# John Tohill > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_Tohill > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_Tohill.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tohill > Source revision: 1357264240 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Catholic bishop The Most Reverend John Tohill Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor Church Catholic Church Diocese Diocese of Down and Connor In office 1908–1914; (died) Predecessor Henry Henry Successor Joseph MacRory Previous post Parish Priest Cushendall Orders Ordination 22 Sept 1878 Consecration 20 Sept 1908 by Michael Logue Personal details Born (1855-12-23)23 December 1855 Kilrea Died 4 July 1914 Belfast, Ireland Styles of John Tohill Reference style The Most Reverend Spoken style Your Lordship or Bishop Religious style Bishop Posthumous style not applicable **John Tohill** (1855–1914) was an [Irish](/source/Ireland) [Roman Catholic](/source/Roman_Catholic) [Prelate](/source/Prelate) and 26th [Lord Bishop of Down and Connor](/source/Down_and_Connor). He was born in Gortmacrane[1] [County Londonderry](/source/County_Londonderry), on 23 December 1855 to Anthony Tohill and Alice (née Convery) Tohill. He studied [Classics](/source/Classics) at *Tirgarvil School* and then boarded at [St. Malachy's College](/source/St._Malachy's_College)[2] before entering [Maynooth College](/source/St_Patrick's_College%2C_Maynooth) on 21 September 1875.[3] ## Priestly ministry Tohill was recognised as a brilliant student at Maynooth coming first in every class. [Patrick Dorrian](/source/Patrick_Dorrian) (then [Bishop of Down and Connor](/source/Down_and_Connor)) recognised Tohill's scholarly ability and even before he was ordained priest he was appointed to the staff of [Diocesan College](/source/St._Malachy's_College) in [Belfast](/source/Belfast). He was ordained by [Patrick Dorrian](/source/Patrick_Dorrian) on 22 September 1878.[4] Tohill taught classics (mostly Greek) at the college until 1894 but always involved himself in the wider pastoral life of Belfast. An Irish Times obituary recalled that during the [1886 Belfast riots](/source/1886_Belfast_riots) "Fr Tohill exercised his influence in the interests of peace." He gave evidence, along with several Catholic laymen, at a [Select Committee](/source/Select_committee_(United_Kingdom)) in Westminster on what he had witnessed and police behaviour in 1886.[5] Additionally he presented a list of Catholic businesses wrecked in Protestant districts, suggesting the attacks were far from random outbursts of sectarian violence but systematic in nature. [6] In 1894 Tohill was transferred to Holy Family Parish in North Belfast and then from 1898 to 1905 he was Administrator of [St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast](/source/St_Peter's_Cathedral%2C_Belfast).[7] He served as Parish Priest of [Cushendall](/source/Cushendall) from 1905 to 1908.[8] ## Bishop Following the death of [Henry Henry](/source/Henry_Henry) he was consecrated 26th [Lord Bishop of Down and Connor](/source/Down_and_Connor) on 20 September 1908 by Cardinal [Michael Logue](/source/Michael_Logue). One of his first tasks as bishop was to lay the foundation stone at [Clonard Monastery](/source/Clonard_Monastery) which occurred on 4 October 1908.[9] In 1911 he visited his home district of [Lavey, County Londonderry](/source/Lavey%2C_County_Londonderry) to administer the sacrament of [confirmation](/source/Confirmation) to over 160 children, there having been no celebration of the sacrament in the preceding five years due to the illness of the [Bishop of Derry](/source/Bishop_of_Derry).[10] He died after a year long illness in [St. Malachy's College](/source/St._Malachy's_College) on 4 July 1914 and is buried in [Milltown Cemetery](/source/Milltown_Cemetery), [West Belfast](/source/Belfast). A London Times obituary claimed he had been appointed bishop because he had had no interest in politics and paid tribute to his "quiet, unassuming character."[11] He was succeeded by [Joseph MacRory](/source/Joseph_MacRory). ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Gortmacrane Townland, Co. Londonderry"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180502064113/https://www.townlands.ie/en/londonderry/loughinsholin/tamlaght-ocrilly/gortmacrane/). Archived from [the original](https://www.townlands.ie/en/londonderry/loughinsholin/tamlaght-ocrilly/gortmacrane/) on 2 May 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Tohill, John"](https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U191608). *[Who's Who & Who Was Who](/source/Who_Was_Who)*. Vol. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 17 February 2021. (Subscription or [UK public library membership](https://www.ukwhoswho.com/page/subscribe#public) required.) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["The Tohills | Tamlaght O'Crilly Greenlough Parish | Derry Diocese"](http://www.greenlough.com/our-parish/our-parish-history/the-tohills/). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Bishop John Tohill \[Catholic-Hierarchy\]"](http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/btohill.html). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["The Irish Times – Saturday, July 11, 1914 – Page 8"](https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/wit/1914/0711/Pg008.html#Ar00806). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/violence/darby.htm](https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/violence/darby.htm) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Canning, Bernard (1988). *Bishops of Ireland 1870-1987*. [Ballyshannon](/source/Ballyshannon): [Donegal Democrat](/source/Donegal_Democrat). pp. 118/9. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1870963008](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1870963008). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Hepburn, A. C. (17 July 2008). [*Catholic Belfast and Nationalist Ireland in the Era of Joe Devlin, 1871-1934*](https://books.google.com/books?id=rHUTDAAAQBAJ&q=john+tohill+cushendall&pg=PA73). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780199298846](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780199298846). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Collins, Paul (2010). [*Renewal and Resistance: Catholic Church Music from the 1850s to Vatican II*](https://books.google.com/books?id=dHi05vP0ZckC&q=%22bishop+john+tohill%22&pg=PA42). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9783039113811](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783039113811). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["THE TOHILL FAMILY OF BALLYMACPEAKE UPPER, COUNTY DERRY, IRELAND"](http://www.tuohey.biz/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/DRAFT-The-Tohill-Family-of-Ballymacpeake-Upper.pdf) (PDF). *Tuohey Family History Site*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Papers Past | Newspapers | Evening Post | 7 July 1914 | OBITUARY"](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19140707.2.68?end_date=31-12-1949&page=2&phrase=2&query=Down+and+Connor&start_date=01-01-1839). ## External links - [Profile](http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/btohill.html) catholic-hierarchy.org; accessed 5 February 2016. [Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals): - [Biography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Biography) - [Catholicism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Catholicism) - [Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Ireland) - [History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:History) v t e Roman Catholic Bishops of Down and Connor Robert Blyth Eugene Magennis Miler Magrath Donat O'Gallagher Conor O'Devany Patrick Hanratty Edmund Dungan Hugh Magennis Heber MacMahon Arthur Magennis Michael O'Beirn Daniel Mackey Terence O'Donnelly James O'Shiel John Armstrong Francis Stuart Edmund O'Doran Theophilus MacCartan Hugh MacMullan Patrick MacMullan William Crolly Cornelius Denvir Patrick Dorrian Patrick MacAlister Henry Henry John Tohill Joseph MacRory Daniel Mageean William Philbin Cahal Daly Patrick Walsh Noel Treanor --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John Tohill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tohill) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tohill?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.