Father John Murphy
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Father John Murphy (1753–c. 2 July 1798) was one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 in Wexford which became known as the Wexford rebellion. Ironically he was at first against it, and in fact actively encouraged his parishioners to give up their arms and sign an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. After the defeat at Vinegar Hill he was executed and his body mutilated. He has gone down in the history of Ireland as a great hero of the rebellion in 1798, for his sincerity and his willingness to die for his people and country.
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[edit] Early life
He was born at Tincurry in the Parish of Ferns, County Wexford in 1753, the youngest son of Thomas and Johanna Murphy. He sailed for Spain in early 1772 and studied for the priesthood in Seville, Spain where many of the clergy in Ireland received their education due to the persecution of Catholics, most notably by means of the Penal Laws. He was ordained to the priesthood in the spring of 1779.
On his return to Ireland in 1785 he became the parish priest of Boolavogue, a small village 5 miles north-east of Enniscorthy. In 1798 he was described as being `"about 45 years old, light complexioned, bald pated and about five feet nine inches high. He was well made, uniting strength and agility".
[edit] Fr Murphy and the outbreak of the 1798 rebellion
On the evening of 26 May 1798, a group of some 40 men gathered under the tutelage of Fr Murphy, obstensibly to cut turf, but probably for safety against the regular yeomanry patrols at a townland called the Harrow. At about eight o'clock that evening, a mounted patrol of some 20 Camolin cavalry spotted the group and approached them demanding to know their business. They left after a brief confrontation having burned the cabin of a missing suspected rebel who they had been tasked to arrest. As the patrol returned they passed by Fr Murphy's group who were by now incensed by the sight of the burning cabin. As the cavalry passed by the men insults were hurled, followed by stones and then an all out attack on the troops. The bulk of the cavalry quickly fled but 2 of the yeomen including the lieutenant in command were killed. The rebellion in Wexford had begun and emissaries were organized and sent by Fr Murphy to rouse the district and attacks were made upon loyalist strongholds to seize the arms collected and stored there.
[edit] The rebellion in Wexford
Reprisals on the part of the crown forces quickly followed and much of the county was scorched, many houses burnt and the countyside was soon filled with masses of people on the move to escape, or join in, the fighting. One group on on Kilthomas Hill was attacked and defeated on the morning of May 28th. Fr Murphy and his men, now outlaws, numbering upwards of a thousand, camped at Oulart Hill. They were badly armed, had little military training and were accompanied by fearful women and children. They however had some able leaders in Fr Murphy and the other local United Irishmen leaders (Edward Roche, Morgan Byrne, Thomas Donovan, George Sparks, Fr Micheal Murphy, Fr Mogue Kearns, Fr Roche and Bagenal Harvey)
Victory at the Oulart Hill followed, and again in Enniscorthy and at Battle of Three Rocks swelling the Irish rebel forces and their weapon supply and gaining control of almost all county Wexford. However defeats at New Ross, Arklow, and Newtownbarry, meant a loss of confidence and discipline. Fr John Murphy had returned to the headquarters of the rebellion at Vinegar Hill before the Battle of Arklow and was attempting to reinforce its defences. 20,000 troops eventually poured into Wexford inflicting defeat at the Battle of Vinegar Hill on 21 June. However, due to a mistimed encircling move by General Needham, the bulk of the rebel army escaped to fight on.
[edit] Defeat and death
After this defeat some sued for terms and surrendered (General Fr Philip Roche) however Fr John Murphy it seems had lost all respect for the crown forces and he and the other leaders attempted to spread the rebellion and link up with other rebels headed towards the midlands. On June 26, 1798 at the Battle of Kilcumney Hill in County Carlow, the Irish forces were again defeated. Following more clashes the Irish forces began to retreat again towards Wexford. They reached Scullogue Gap but Fr Murphy and another leader James Gallagher became separated in fog from the main group (who went on to fight for 5 more years from the Wicklow mountains). Fr Murphy decided to head for the safety of a relative's house in Tullow, County Carlow when the fog cleared. After a few days some yeomen captured him and James Gallagher in a farmyard on 2 July 1798. They were brought to Tullow later that day where they were brought before a military tribunal and charged with committing treason against the British crown and sentenced to death. Both men were torturted in an attempt to extract more information from them, Fr Murphy was stripped, flogged, hanged, decapitated, his corpse burnt in a barrel of tar and his head impaled on a spike at the Sessions House opposite the Catholic church. This final gesture was meant to be a warning to all others who would dare to take up arms against the British crown.
[edit] Legacy
So ended the life of Fr John Murphy, as well as that of James Gallagher and the other leaders of the 1798 rebellion. They are still a cause for inspiration in the modern republican movement, and shows to what extent certain Priests have gone to protect their flock. He is considered one of the many Irish martyrs who died for the cause of Irish freedom and the Catholic religion. He is remembered in the Irish Ballad of Boolavogue which was written in 1898 to commemorate the rebellion.
[edit] Sources
- A short History of the people of Ireland, p 432-436, Mary Hade G.G. Moonan.
- A History of Ireland, p 342-344, E. Curtis.
- Irish Historical Documents
- The 1798 Rebellion in Wexford edited by Dáire Keogh and Nicholas Furlong, Four Courts Press 1996)
