July 15th, 1871
Gerald O’Donovan (born Jeremiah Donovan; 15 July 1871 – 26 July 1942) was an Irish priest and writer.
Jeremiah Donovan was born in Kilkeel, County Down, the son of a pier builder. He attended Ardnaree College in Killala and St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. He left Maynooth after ordination for the Diocese of Clonfert in 1895 and was appointed as a Roman Catholic priest to Loughrea, County Galway between 1896 and 1904.
He was an enthusiastic advocate of the Gaelic League and the Irish Cooperative Association, and promoted his views in articles and lectures.
His literary friends included Lady Gregory, W. B. Yeats, and George Moore. He was in charge of decorating St Brendan’s Cathedral, Loughrea in 1901, the financing provided by O’Donovan’s close friend Edward Martyn. He quit Loughrea in 1904 after the arrival of a new bishop, Thomas O’Dea.
