Finding the book

THE OLD Irish saying that “the ink lasts longer than a martyr’s blood” certainly resonated with me on that spring morning in 2007 when I received a call to remove waste from a house in Dublin.

I never realised how significant this phone-call would turn out to be.

As a contractor this type of request is standard practice.

An elderly lady passed away and as the home was to be sold, her brother wanted the house cleared of its contents.

I was in the midst of the clutter when I spotted three cardboard boxes with a hardback book lying on top of them.

I read the title “Our Martyrs’ decided to have a closer look at it later when I got a chance.

Later that evening I perused the book with great interest.

I realised very soon that I had discovered a  treasure that had nearly been lost to the rubbish heap.

As I read the book from cover to cover it dawned on me through much prayer that the message of these holy martyrs had to be re-told.

I began to speak with family and friends about the possibility of re-printing the book and was overwhelmed by the generous support that I received.

With the reprinting of this book the story of these holy men and women who died for their Catholic faith can be told to a new generation of people who may never have heard their story.

One Religious Brother sums up the bravery of these martyrs when he said at his execution:

“For this cause I would be willing to die not once but a thousand deaths”- Blessed Dominic Collins.

Between the years 1537 and 1714, in Ireland and England, the attempted extermination of Catholicism as a religion was witnessed.

This was to be brought about by the execution of clergy and lay people who would not denounce their faith.

These people were summarily beaten, tortured and executed in the cruelest way.

One, Bishop Dermot O’Hurley, had his legs boiled over a roaring fire in order to force him to denounce his beliefs.

When he refused they eventually hanged him.

Contained in this book is only a sample of the many brave and courageous people who gave their lives for a faith that they defended to the death.

The distinct Irish Catholic culture of the people was and still is worth dying for.

It became clear to me that there were two reasons that they were willing to lay down their lives;

they would not denounce the authority of the Catholic Church or the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, (body, blood, soul and divinity).

When you read the history of these brave martyrs it brings a sense of urgency to protect the treasure that we have in our faith.

Blessed Terence Albert O’Brien at his execution on 31st October 1651 said;

“Do not weep for me, but pray that being firm and unbroken in this torment of death, I may happily finish my course.”

I have three aspirations for everyone who reads this book about our martyrs, that they will keep alive the stories contained herein, that they will realise that our Catholic heritage is a tradition worth preserving and lastly that they will be motivated to ‘finish the course’ set before us.

With the help of this book I have learned not to be complacent about my faith and would encourage you to read and understand what past generations have suffered, to give us the freedom, to partake in the Holy Sacraments today.

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Damien Richardson