Michael Boyle (archbishop of Armagh)
Irish archbishop
Michael Boyle, the younger (c. 1609 – 10 December 1702) was a Church of Ireland bishop who served as Archbishop of Dublin from 1663 to 1679 and Archbishop of Armagh from 1679 to his death. He also served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland, the last time a bishop was appointed to that office.
Early career
Boyle was born circa 1609, the eldest son of Richard Boyle, Archbishop of Tuam and Martha Wright. His uncle was Michael Boyle (bishop of Waterford and Lismore). It was through the descendants of his first cousin once removed Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork that the Boyle name became ennobled over the centuries with multiple peerages, including Earl of Cork, Earl of Orrery and Earl of Shannon.
Boyle was educated at Trinity College Dublin, where he proceeded M.A., and on 4 November 1637 was incorporated M.A. of Oxford. In 1637 he obtained a rectory in the diocese of Cloyne, received the degree of D.D., and became Dean of Cloyne in 1640. During the war in Ireland acted as chaplain-general to the English army in Munster.
In 1650, the Protestant royalists in Ireland employed Boyle, in conjunction with Sir Robert Sterling and Colonel John Daniel, to negotiate on their behalf with Oliver Cromwell.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6828776. VIAF identifies the subject as 2039482. The Library of Congress control number is no93014685. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1609, 1702, 1663 and 1679.
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