However, the family was subject to the British government's policy of curtailment of civil rights of Irish Catholics (see, Ireland 1691–1801:The Penal Laws).
Butler commenced his studies at the Irish College in Rome, managing to lose his left eye in a duel, and was ordained priest in 1755 in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
[1] The post of Bishop of Cork fell vacant in 1763 and Butler won immediate support as the leading candidate, being appointed by Pope Clement XIII in 1763.
The years following his appointment marked a reduction in the civil disabilities of Catholics in Ireland and the relaxation afforded the Church the opportunity finally to implement the decrees of the Council of Trent in respect of the Irish hierarchy.
[3] In 1800, an aged and infirm Butler wrote a letter of repentance to the pope, executed a will, and made his confession to Catholic priest Fr.
[1] Butler left his property to St Patrick's College, Maynooth[2] and litigation from his family, notably by his sister, Mrs. Catherine O'Brien-Butler of Bansha Castle, County Tipperary, was swift.