Dominic Bellew

Dominic Bellew (May 1745 – 16 June 1813) was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Killala from 1779 to 1812.

Early life Bellew was probably born in County Louth in 1745 to a prominent county Catholic family. In around 1764 he was enrolled in the Irish College in Bordeaux, France and he was ordained on 5 March 1771 in Bordeaux. He returned to Ireland early in 1772 and served as a curate in Drogheda. In September 1772, Archbishop Anthony Blake appointed Bellew as parish priest of Dundalk, likely through the influence of his cousin, Sir Patrick Bellew. His appointment was unpopular with the people of Dundalk, whose preference was for a local curate, Peter Carroll, and both priests assumed the position. After several years of petitioning and following an investigation by Archbishop John Carpenter, a compromise candidate, John Markey, was appointed instead. He subsequently became a vocal supporter of the Acts of Union 1800, likely in an effort to demonstrate his loyalty. In 1809, he opposed attempts by Richard O'Reilly to appoint a new Archbishop of Tuam, judging it to be outside his purview. During debates on Catholic emancipation, Bellew opposed the proposal for a government veto on episcopal appointments.

Bellew died on 16 June 1813, having been thrown from his carriage at Mullingar three days earlier while returning from Dublin. He was buried at Moyne Abbey beside his brother shortly thereafter.