John Comyn (c. 1150 – 25 October 1212), born in England, wasArchbishop of Dublin, Ireland.

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He waschaplain toKing Henry II of England and on his "urgent" recommendation was electedArchbishop of Dublin following the death ofSt. Laurence O'Toole in 1180.^[1] He had been aBenedictine monk at theEvesham Abbey.

In 1181, he was elected to the archbishopric of Dublin by some of the clergy of Dublin, who had assembled at Evesham for the purpose. He was not then a priest, but was subsequently, in the same year, ordained such, atVelletri, and onPalm Sunday (21 March) was there consecrated archbishop by PopeLucius III. The following year the pope granted him manors and lands in and around Dublin, which subsequently formed theManor of St. Sepulchre, which remained under the authority of the Archbishop of Dublin until the 19th century. The pope also, in an effort to protect the Dublin archbishopric from claims fromCanterbury, extended certain privileges to Comyn, which intensified the rivalry between the sees of Dublin and Armagh for thePrimacy of Ireland.^[1]

Comyn waited three years before visiting Ireland, until he was sent there by King Henry to prepare the reception of his son, Prince John. The king granted him lands and privileges which made him aLord of Parliament. After his arrival in Ireland, John granted Comyn theBishopric of Glendalough, with all its appurtenances in lands, manors, churches, tithes, fisheries and liberties, although Comyn never had an opportunity to take this up in his lifetime. Under PopeUrban III carried out a number of reforms of the Irish church to bring it into line with the church in England and in continental Europe.^[1]

In 1189, Archbishop Comyn assisted at the coronation ofKing Richard I. The following year he demolished the old parish church of St. Patrick, south of Dublin, and erected a new building, next to his Palace of St. Sepulchre, which he elevated to the status of a collegiate church, and which later becameSt. Patrick's Cathedral. This enabled him to rule in his own Liberty, without the interference of the mayor and citizens. About the same time he enlarged the choir ofChrist Church Cathedral.^[2]

Prince John granted Comyn further legal rights throughout the country of Ireland, while Comyn also received the church and lands of All Hallows, to the northeast of Dublin. BetweenLusk andSwords he founded the convent ofGrace Dieu, which later became wealthy through grants from the Anglo-Norman prelates and magnates. However, when Hamo de Valoniis (alias de Valois), was appointedJusticiar of Ireland he seized some of these lands for the treasury (with a good portion for himself), and a dispute arose which caused Comyn to flee for his own safety toNormandy. Comyn appealed toPope Innocent III, who settled the dispute, but John was angered by the actions of Comyn, and did not reconcile himself with him until 1206.^[1]

Comyn died six years later and was buried in Christ Church Cathedral, where a marble monument was erected to his memory. Two years later William Piro, Bishop of Glendalough, died, whereupon the union of the sees granted by King John took place.

• Sir John Gilbert, Crede Mihi (Dublin, 1897)
• Sir John Gilbert, History of the City of Dublin (Dublin, 1859)
• James Ware, ed. Walter Harris, Antiquities of Ireland (Dublin. 1764)
• Moran, History of the Catholic Archbishops of Dublin (Dublin, 1864)

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Dublin".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

• 1150s births
• 1212 deaths
• Archbishops of Dublin
• 12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland
• 13th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland
• Honorary chaplains to the King

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