| Rory Murphy -An
Appreciation by councillor Sean Doyle |
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| A PRESENCE is gone, an articulate voice,
silence forever. A man of many and varied talents and achievements, who spoke with
eloquence and authority in many meeting rooms and Council Chambers, who lectured on topics
dear to his heart at home and abroad, had departed to his heavenly abode. To all who knew
him, his sudden passing came as a great shock. His loss will be felt most keenly by his
family and the people of Ballinavocran, Kilmyshall and Bunclody. We travelled a lot together and all the moments we shared were joyous and inspirational Joyous because he was a man of erudition and each journey we travelled was an educational excursion into landscapes near and far. And inspirational because of love of his native county and country, its history and lore, was contagious and you just couldn't help but be infected with Rory's enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, his native place. His journey through life was fulfilling because of his questioning mind and his ability to absorb the profound and mundane and the capability to make each interesting and fresh when relating them to others. He had a fount of knowledge and his ability to recall obscure interesting items of information was remarkable. On occasion he would come up with an instant quotation from poetry or prose to help illustrate a point during debate. The Chamber of Wexford County Council was often treated to such stimulating digression in a rich sonorous voice. He never lost his extraordinary intellectual self-confidence. His interests were many history literature, agriculture heritage, folklore, modern technology, tourism, 1798, Wexford Senate, travel, Ballygarret/Texas, genealogy, National Heritage Park, crosswords and culture in its many aspects. He was Chairman of the County Tourism Council for a number of years and he dedicated much of his time and energy to promote County Wexford as a tourism county. Rory always saw the broader picture -he was no parish-pump politician. The Wexford Opera Festival was as important to him as the Eileen Aroon Festival in Bunclody -both of them were valuable and worthy of support. |
The energy implicit in such a hectic and
varied lifetime was evident in his last years: although not in full health, he kept going
to the end. On occasion he recalled his dark days for me -he was quite open about the
problems that addiction to alcohol caused him. I'm sure it affected his life and his
complete break from it must have been very difficult for such a gregarious man. He was a pied piper who brought us all along on some venture or enterprise that he was supporting which he felt was good for Wexford. He thought the big thoughts. Old methods and habits of thought die hard. Rory Murphy was always open to new ideals and ways of doing things. He was a computer 'whizz kid' long before most of us heard of them. He always supported innovation and diversification, particularly in the field of Agriculture. Although he was a lifelong member of the Fianna Fail political party, he always rose above narrow political concerns when what was good for Wexford was involved. He had no interest in inane sound bites for the delectation of the more churlish of party supporters Rory did not believe in attacking an individual political opponent personally, political opponents he had, but hardly any personal enemies. I had a notion he was intolerant of cant. You could seriously disagree with Rory, and sometimes I did, but nothing would change in his attitude towards you. In spite of his many disappointments throughout life, he always came out at the other end without bitterness or vindictiveness -if it was there at all it did not last long. He threw off such feelings and got on with life. He was as patriotic as any of us, but his outlook was inclusive. Chauvinism was not a part of his personality. He did not believe in the fabrication of history to suit any cause. He was a Renaissance man with a fine intellect and broad range of interests. His energy and enthusiasm were awesome. He believed that there is an alternative Ireland and Wexford to be found in the past -it languishes in libraries waiting to be discovered. |
As a County Councillor he was very supportive of our Library services and wouldn't it be a fitting memorial to Rory to name the new Library for Bunclody as a memorial to him. I'm not going to list all the organisations that Rory was involved with - obituaries in the newspapers have already gone into that detail of his life. We, who attended his Funeral Mass in a packed St. Mary Magdalene Church, Kilmyshall, were moved as his brother, Revd. Francis J. Murphy C.S.S.P. came forward to celebrate Mass. The singing of his daughter, Fidelma, of "On Eagle's Wings" was beautiful and emotional. The soaring voice of my Council colleague, Padge Reck, backed by Leo Carthy, made up for those of us who weren't blessed with such talent. I'm sure Rory understood and accepted Padge's and Leo's effort on behalf of us all. We accompanied his remains to their last resting place within the bosom of the land he loved so well, 'neath the shadow of the Wexford mountains 'cold and grey', underneath the trees of autumnal leaves. As the coffin was lowered, the sun shone strongly and illuminated all the mourners with his family together to share their last farewell of a beloved father. A family, I might add that their father was mighty proud of, and rightly so. Rory Murphy had his heart set on a Town Park in Bunclody. The Mountains and streams of Bunclody are high and deep and Rory' spent many rewarding moments writing of their impact on the history and traditions of his homeland They were his imaginative landscape. What more fitting location for a Town Park than' Slaney Valley' close to the progressive town of Bunclody, planted with native trees and each tree to represent Rory's membership of one of the Organisations that he was associated with throughout his amazing life. Yes, I will miss him too. His life was an inspiration and his memory a benediction. Sean Doyle. |