Bishop Crean pictured recently, accepting a portrait of his predecessor Bishop John Sleyne from Tadhg Dorgan, BL, which has been given to the Diocese on permanent loan by the Dorgan family of Mourne Abbey.
Born in 1638 at Ballymacsliney Midleton, John Sleyne studied for the priesthood at the Sorbonne Paris. At the age of 24, he was ordained and returned to his native diocese of Cloyne where he was elected Dean of the Cathedral and Prior of Ballybeg Priory Buttevant. In 1676, Fr. Sleyne (as he then was) went to Rome and worked at the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. He returned in 1694 as Bishop of the then united dioceses of Cork and Cloyne.
History tells us that our former Bishop travelled around County Cork exercising his duties conducting confirmations and ordinations, for which in 1698 he was imprisoned in Cork Gaol for his refusal to obey the Penal Laws of that time. Thereafter he was deported to Portugal where he spent the rest of his life in exile residing with the Irish Dominican Community at the Convent of Bom Successo, where he died on the 16th of February 1712. Bishop Sleyne is interred in the altar dedicated to St. Patrick in the convent chapel.
Before coming into private ownership, the 300-year-old portrait, was, for many years, held at Holy Cross Seminary, Clonliffe Dublin. It is believed that this painting is one of the oldest portraits in existence of an Irish Bishop, and is a welcome contribution to our collection.
