Andrews, George (c.1575–1648), protestant bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, was born at Daventry, Northants., England, educated at Magdalen College, Oxford (BA 1592, MA 1599), and ordained (25 November 1596). Between 1603 and 1635 he was dean of Limerick and precentor of St Patrick's cathedral, Dublin, also holding many other positions: vicar of Bruree, Co. Limerick (1609–34), prebendary of Cloneamery, Ossory (1613–25), and – in the diocese of Killaloe – prebendary of Lockeen (1615–20), rector of Kilnaboy (1624–5), and rector of Drumcliffe (1625). He published A quaternion of sermons preached in Ireland in the summer season 1624 (Dublin, 1625, reprinted 1684). A Calvinist, associated with Primate James Ussher (qv), he fell foul of the policy of the lord deputy, Thomas Wentworth (qv), and Bishop John Bramhall (qv) of harmonising the doctrine and discipline of the Churches of Ireland and England.
In 1634 he led the opposition in Convocation's lower house to the introduction of the thirty-nine articles and chaired a committee that recommended a much modified version for Ireland of the English canons of 1604. For this he was berated by Wentworth (‘not a dean of Limerick but Ananias had sat in the chair of that committee … with all the fraternities and conventicles of Amsterdam’); and, as punishment, was appointed to the impoverished see of Ferns (consecrated 14 May 1635), though he was allowed to hold the prebendaries of Ullard (Leighlin) and Fethard (Ferns) to supplement his income. After the outbreak of the 1641 rising he fled to England, where he remained; he died 28 October 1648 in London and was buried in St Clement Danes church.
He married Eleanor, daughter of John Ryder (qv), bishop of Killaloe. They had two daughters, Jane and Eleanor; the latter married Abel, son and heir of Bishop Thomas Ram (qv). Ryder spoke of Andrews as ‘a learned and zealous preacher of God's word, and of singular good life and conversation’.