Cormac Mác Shamhradháin O.S.A., (Anglicised as Cormack Magauran or McGovern) b. c.1410-d.1476, was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ardagh diocese in Ireland from 1444 to 1476.
Cormac Mác Shamhradháin was a member of the McGovern clan, rulers in the Middle Ages of the tuath of Teallach n-Eachach in Breifne (now Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland).
[2] On the death of his father Piaras in 1431, Cormac succeeded to the post of Prior of Drumlane due to hereditary succession rights.
[5] This proposal was rejected by the Vatican and Cormac Mác Shamhradháin was appointed on 6 November 1444 by Pope Eugene IV.
Cormac evidently won the appointment because he travelled to Rome to plead his case, while MacMuircherty remained in Ireland.
MacFirbis Annals for 1445 state “The Bishop Magsamhradhan came from Rome and obtained the episcopacie of Ardachadh, and the Quire of Ardachadh, and young Officiall mcMuircherty, that was elected afore him, obeyed him haveing the Popes authoritie from Rome.”[7] This state of affairs did not last long, as he was not a native of the diocese and throughout his tenure they attempted to have him deposed.
[8] On 9 June 1460 Cormac attended the Provincial Synod of Armagh held under Archbishop John Bole at St. Peter's Church, Drogheda.
In 1463 Seaán Ó Fearghail went to Rome to ask the pope to confirm him as bishop of Ardagh in lieu of Cormac and a writ of King Edward III of England dated 1463 describes Sean as bishop-elect of Ardagh, but he was never consecrated, probably because of his role at the same time in attempting to remove the Bishop of Cork and Cloyne Jordan Purcell using forged documents.
Matters came to a head when Cormac offered his resignation to Pope Paul II in 1467 and on 12 October 1467 Donnchadh O'Fearghail was appointed Bishop of Ardagh, but he died before the papal bull was expedited.