3 August 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
The Hurley Chalice 1633 will be on display in Dunmanway, West Cork on loan from the North Cathedral Cork
The Hurley Chalice is a remarkable Irish silver-gilt Catholic chalice dated 1633. It is preserved in St Mary’s Cathedral (the North Cathedal), Cork City, but now is to go on display in Dunmanway, West Cork.
The chalice is traditionally associated with the prominent Hurley (Ó Muirthile/Ó hUirthile) family who ere were the lords of Ballinacarriga Castle, about 9 km southeast of Dunmanway, making the chalice part of the history of the Dunmanway district rather than Cork city.
It is one of the finest surviving examples of 17th-century Irish ecclesiastical silver.It is an important surviving example because relatively few Irish Catholic chalices from the early 17th century escaped destruction or confiscation during the upheavals of the mid-1600s.
Inscription and donor
According to the Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society (1906), the chalice bears the following inscriptions around its base:
“Dns. Ranaldus Hurly” (Lord/Randal Hurley)
“Et. Dna. Eulina de Curcy” (and Lady Ellen de Courcy)
“Conjuges Me Dei” (“Spouses of God” or “May God unite/protect the spouses”)
“Servitio D.D. 1633” (“Given for the service [of God], 1633”)
“IHS” (the Christogram)
Inside the foot is a later inscription:
“Ex Dono J. Coppinger … Parochia Sta. Maria, 1722”
indicating that J. Coppinger presented it to St Mary’s Parish in 1722.
Historical background
The chalice is believed to have been donated by Randal (Ranald) Hurley and his wife Ellen de Courcy. The Hurleys were an important Gaelic family centred around Ballinacarriga Castle near Dunmanway, County Cork. Through marriage, they were connected with the ancient Anglo-Norman de Courcy family, Barons of Kinsale.
The date 1633 places the chalice in the period immediately before the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–1653), when Catholic worship in Ireland faced increasing political and religious pressures.
Artistic features
The chalice is noted for:
Silver-gilt construction.
A finely chased lower cup.
An ornate knop (central stem).
A polygonal base decorated with:
a simple cross,
the Blessed Virgin beneath three stars,
double eagles (the de Courcy arms),
a palm tree,
and the IHS monogram.
Michael Sheehan, Viv DeCourcy, Professor David Sheehan, Historian, Michelle O’Mahony, Main Anchor at WAFF-TV Anchor, Liz Hurley and Tommy Collins with the Hurley Chalice at the Homecoming event for the descendants of Dunmanway that was held at the Parkway Hotel, Dunmanway, Co. Cork in late July. – Picture: David Creedon
Ted Chambers from Boston, USA and Michelle O’Mahony holding the Hurley Chalice at the Homecoming event for the descendants of Dunmanway that was held at the Parkway Hotel, Dunmanway, Co. Cork in late July. – Picture: David Creedon
Bud Hurley, Prof. David Sheehan and Kathleen Hurley from New Hampshire USA with the Hurley Chalice at the Homecoming event for the descendants of Dunmanway that was held at the Parkway Hotel, Dunmanway, Co. Cork in late July. – Picture: David Creedon
Professer David Sheehan and Historian, Michelle O’Mahony holding the Hurley Chalice at the Homecoming event for the descendants of Dunmanway that was held at the Parkway Hotel, Dunmanway, Co. Cork in late July. – Picture: David Creedon