Waterford County Museum is saddened to hear of the passing of Seán Murphy. Seán had many talents, he was a gifted raconteur, and a cast member of 'Bachelors in Trouble'. Filmed over three decades the 'Bachelors in Trouble' comedic films became a Waterford institution. Seán was also a gifted historian operating in partnership with his wife Síle.
This husband-and-wife team of
local historians researched the local stories of the Comeraghs, Kilmacthomas,
and Co. Waterford for well over forty years and accumulated a vast store of
written material on diverse topics of social interest. They were actively
involved in the cultural life of mid-Waterford during all of this time. Seán
was a Kilmacthomas native but as he said himself, he had lived in the mountains
for over forty years. As a social welfare officer serving West Waterford, he
absorbed a vast store of the lore of Co. Waterford and the Comeraghs. As the
pension officer he had to interview many veterans of the War of Independence,
collecting valuable historical information in the process. At a time when it
was neither fashionable nor encouraged, he documented the contribution made by
these veterans to Irish independence.
Publications by the Murphys
include: The Comeraghs: Holy Year Cross (1973), The Comeraghs: fact
and fancy (1974), The Comeraghs: fact and famine (1975), The
Comeraghs: refuge of rebels (1980), The Comeraghs: famine, eviction and
revolution (1996), Waterford: heroes, poets and villains (1999) and
The Comeraghs: gunfire and civil war (2003 & 2020). Seán also part
authored the Kilmacthomas section of The towns and villages of the Waterford
Greenway (2018).
It should come as no surprise
that Seán and Síle donated all of the considerable profits of their most recent
publication to Waterford County Museum. Working with Seán to publish the book
was a privilege and it was joy to see a new generation discover this accessible
and important local history book.
Seán's historical legacy will
be much more than the publications he has left behind. The many younger
historians who came into contact with him benefitted from Seán’s knowledge
and generosity with his time. He provided an object lesson as to how local
history could be done in a supportive, collegial manner. These historians will
write their own books and I’ve no doubt they will draw on Seán’s example as an
inspiration.
Seán was more interested in
preserving the memory of those who worked for Irish freedom than any fame that
might accrue to himself. As can be seen in the foreword that he authored for
the most recent edition of The Comeraghs: gunfire and civil war he was
conscious of the debt that he felt was due to that generation. I can think of
no more fitting epitaph for Seán than to use the words he used in that
heartfelt foreword. He was a man of great integrity and honour, and it was our
privilege to have known him.
"In our research for the
book we found the veterans to be men and women of great integrity and honour,
who had suffered great hardship in their youth for the cause of Irish freedom.
We the generation who came after them owe them a great debt, which we have not
really paid. All these heroes have gone to their eternal reward and are now the
stuff of history. I hope that this book will show that the men and women of
Waterford were as active as any others and it was they who held out to the
bitter end, till eventually the Civil War concluded in the Comeragh
Mountains." Seán Murphy
To Seán’s wife Síle, his
children: Jack, Bob, Lia, and Mahon, his extended family, and many friends our
most sincere condolences.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a
anam
