Patrick Fleming

Fleming, Patrick, Rev., of the family of the Lords of Slane, was born in the townland of Lagan, County of Louth, 17th April 1599. At thirteen he was sent to the Continent, and studied diligently at Douay and Louvain; at the latter place he took the habit of St. Francis on 17th March 1617. At Paris he became intimate with Hugh Ward, and perceiving his capacity for the task, induced him to undertake the work of collecting materials for a work on the lives of the Irish saints. In 1623 he removed to Rome in company with Hugh MacCaughwell, afterwards Archbishop of Armagh.

After studying in St. Isidore's at Rome, Fleming returned to Louvain; and in a few years removed to Prague, where in 1631 he was appointed President of the Irish College. When Prague was about being besieged by the Elector of Saxony in 1631 he fled with a companion, but was set upon by some peasants and murdered, 7th November in the same year. Fortunately when departing for Prague he left his Collectanea Sacra in MS. in the hands of Moret, a printer in Antwerp. It appeared in Louvain in 1677. The work is now extremely rare, having at Dr. Todd's sale brought £70. An exposition of the contents, by Dr. Reeves, will be found in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii.

Sources

11. Archaeology, Ulster Journal of. Belfast, 1853-'62.

339. Ware, Sir James, Works: Walter Harris. 2 vols. Dublin, 1764.