Cahal Cardinal Daly

Cahal Brendan Cardinal Daly (born October 1, 1917) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1990 to 1996. He has been a Cardinal since 1991.

He was ordained a priest in 1941 and spent much of his early career teaching in Belfast. He attended the Second Vatican Council.

In 1967 he became a bishop, being named by Pope Paul VI to head the diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois in the Republic of Ireland before being transferred by Pope John Paul II in 1982 to head his native diocese of Down and Connor, in Northern Ireland. He had been expected to end his career in this larger diocese before being the surprise choice, at the age of 73, when the Archdiocese of Armagh fell vacant on the death of a younger man. He took a notably harder line against the Irish Republican Army than his predecessor.

Though the ordinary retirement age for Catholic bishops is 75, Cardinal Daly remained in office until his 79th birthday. Although it had been announced that he would attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II, he stayed home on the advice of his doctors.