[1][2] Daly served as the Roman Catholic Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from late 1990 to 1996, the oldest man to take up this role for nearly 200 years.

[6] In the academic year 1952–53 Queens granted him sabbatical leave, which he spent studying at the Catholic Institute of Paris where he received a licentiate in philosophy.

[8] He dedicated himself to scholarship for 30 years, and published several books seeking to bring about understanding between the warring factions in Northern Ireland.

Daly converted his forename Charles into Cahal ahead of his episcopal consecration in St. Mel's Cathedral, Longford, on 16 July 1967 from William Cardinal Conway, with Archbishop Giuseppe Sensi and Bishop Neil Farren serving as co-consecrators.

He spent 15 years as bishop in Longford and was diligent about parish visitation and confirmations gradually assumed a greater national profile.

This policy was criticised by those who saw segregated education as one of the causes of sectarianism in Northern Ireland, but was seen by the Catholic clergy as important for passing on their faith to future generations.

He was utterly orthodox in opposing divorce, contraception, abortion, the ordination of women and any idea of dropping clerical celibacy.

Although it was announced that he would attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II, he stayed home on the advice of his doctors.

[16] In 1967 Daly took as his episcopal motto, "Jesus Christ, yesterday and today", taken from Hebrews 13:8 and his armorial bearings were a personalised variation of the arms of the Ó Dálaigh family.

[23][24] In tributes, both Taoiseach Brian Cowen and former UK prime minister Tony Blair stressed Cardinal Daly's contribution to the peace process in Northern Ireland.

[21] The deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, the Sinn Féin MLA Martin McGuinness, said it was no secret that Republicans and Cardinal Daly had never enjoyed a close relationship during The Troubles, but that relations had warmed since then.

[27] Large numbers of people travelled from as far as County Westmeath to attend Mass at Armagh on 4 January, at which Monsignor Liam McEntaggart, the former parish priest of Coalisland, said, "When the history of peace making in Ireland comes to be written, the contribution of Cardinal Daly will be accorded a high place".

[20] In 2001, eight years before his death, Dr. Daly donated his entire set of writings to the Political Collection of the Linen Hall Library.

Cardinal Daly said at the time: Where feelings run high and community resentments are strong on both sides, truth itself becomes an early casualty.