O’Toole, Saint Laurence (1130?-1180), was the first person who lived and worked in Ireland to be canonized (declared a saint). O’Toole was born in County Kildare of royal parents. In 1162, he was appointed archbishop of Dublin, Ireland. Eight years later, the Normans invaded Ireland from England. O’Toole tried to unite his fellow citizens in opposing the invasion. When he realized that the Normans had gained control of Ireland, he tried to secure peace and justice for the Irish. In 1179, O’Toole attended a church council called the Third Lateran Council in Rome and was made papal legate—that is, the pope’s ambassador—for Ireland. He died on Nov. 14, 1180. Pope Honorius III canonized O’Toole in 1225.
