Egan, Boetius (1580?–1650), catholic bishop, was the son of Teig Egan of Park in the parish of Clonbern, Co. Galway. His family had traditionally been brehons to a branch of the Clanricard Burkes. He studied philosophy at Douai and theology at Louvain where he was taught by Hugh MacCaghwell (qv) and became a strong proponent of Scotistic theology. At Louvain, he joined the Franciscans (18 April 1610) and was ordained a priest in 1611. Returning to Ireland, he became visitator-general of the Franciscans and guardian of the Franciscan friary at Kilconnel, Co. Galway. As far as possible, he adhered to the austere Franciscan lifestyle and wore his habit at all times. In particular, he was noted for his learning and his patronage of scholars and the Irish language. Upon the recommendation of Florence Conry (qv), archbishop of Tuam, he was appointed bishop of Elphin on 9 June 1625. In a report to Rome of January 1631, it was stated that he travelled his diocese disguised as a merchant and that the protestant authorities strictly persecuted catholics by fining and imprisoning those who met with Egan and those who allowed a priest to marry them or to baptise their children. Nonetheless, he was very active and by that date had managed to publish the decrees of the council of Trent in most parishes, to hold a number of synods, to have his clergy hold regular theological conferences amongst themselves, to conduct regular visitations of his diocese and to reform the outdated parish structure in his diocese. He was preoccupied with enforcing the disciplinary standards set by Trent upon the catholic clergy of which there were about 40 active members in Elphin. Catholicism was particularly strong in Athlone where a Franciscan friary was established in 1626 and where Egan said the authorities did little to halt his activities. Elsewhere, government harassment made it very difficult for him to carry out his responsibilities as bishop. Indeed, he petitioned Rome in 1634 for dispensation from non-residence in his diocese because of persecution. In another report to Rome in 1637, he revealed that he could not remain in one place for long due to fear of arrest and that he and his clergy lived in great poverty, but continued to display a remarkable commitment to enforcing tridentine standards in a very inhospitable political environment. Prior to 1641, he lived under the protection of Ulick Burke of Glinsk.
The early success of the October 1641 rebellion allowed him to possess his see formally that year, although parts of Elphin, including the episcopal palace, remained under protestant control. Thereafter, he was periodically in Kilkenny to attend to confederate business, but he does not appear to have played a very active role in the confederacy and concentrated mainly on his duties as bishop. With the assistance of local catholic forces, Egan seized his diocesan capital Elphin from his protestant counterpart in September 1645. This was a controversial step as the catholic confederation was then negotiating a possible alliance with the protestant royalist forces and his actions contributed to the defection of many Connacht protestants into the parliamentarian camp. In September 1646, Owen Roe O'Neill's (qv) Ulster army seized Athlone castle. The next year the papal nuncio GianBattista Rinuccini (qv) ordered the return of Athlone to the Leinster army of the catholic confederation, but O'Neill ignored this command. As a result, Egan placed the castle under interdict. However, local friars defied him and continued to minister to the soldiers there. In summer 1648, he strongly supported Rinuccini's divisive excommunication of adherents to the truce concluded by the supreme council of the catholic confederation with the Munster protestant forces and with Murrough O'Brien (qv), Lord Inchiquin. That autumn, he wrote to Rinuccini, begging him to remain in Ireland, without success.
By the start of 1650, Cromwellian troops were sweeping westwards across Ireland and Egan was in poor health. His last days were spent at the friary in Kilconnel where he died 19 November 1650 and was buried in the church there.