Murphy, Peter
June 14, 2011Peter Murphy, the Co. Carlow native who was held in the highest esteem and affection by the country's farming community as 'the voice of rural Ireland' was laid to rest in his native Clonegal on Thursday last.
Aged 88, Mr Murphy died suddenly at his Sandymount, Co. Dublin home on Friday, June 3, hours after returning from a holiday in Connemara.
A native of Clonegal village, where his father John was manager of Huntington Castle, Peter Murphy was educated at the local national school and at Carnew secondary school. He then went to Warrenstown Agricultural College, which set him on the path towards fame as the familiar voice and face the Irish people came to know.
In 1953, he was appointed national organiser to Macra na Feirme, the young farmers' organisation- a role he was to fulfil with distinction up to his retirement in 1992. The headquarters of Macra at that time was in Athy, the Co Kildare town being the cradle of the organisation.
In 1956, Peter Murphy played an influential role as one of the founder members of the National Farmers' Association (NFA), forerunner of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), the country's biggest farming organisation.
He was a man who became very well known across the generations, particularly within the farming community throughout the 1970s and 80s, through his work in producing RTE's long-running farming programme Landmark and in his role as quizmaster and question-setter for the highly successful television programme Cross Country Quiz.
In all, Peter prepared 14 quiz books and, up to the time of his death, prepared his weekly quizzes for the Farming Independent and Farmers Monthly.
Up to recently, Peter continued to travel the highways and byways of Ireland, acting as quizmaster at community and regional quizzes.
Peter's smooth radio voice led to his presenting of nine sponsored programmes on Radio Eireann over a distinguished 20-year radio career.
There was also a sporting dimension to Peter Murphy's life. He played senior inter-county football for his native Carlow in the late 1940s, lining out at left-half-back. He played his club football with Kilbride, and played in the 1947 Carlow SFC final in which Kilbride lost to Ballymurphy.
Peter had a tremendous gra for the place of his birth, returning to Clonegal as often as possible down the years to enjoy the country life which he so loved. The Murphys maintained Peter's family home in the Co. Carlow village.
Peter's life-long friend Willie White, who recently turned 90, attended Peter's funeral with the Kilbride jersey sitting proudly on his shoulders. As youngsters, Willie remembers Handy Andy, the first play he and Peter took part in with Clonegal Drama Group, with Peter taking the lead role.
He said Peter was a natural for he stage, commenting: Peter had a way forgot a line or a sentence, he had the ability to improvise and come through smelling of roses.
Willie and Peter were in the same class in school, where they became firm friends- a friendship which lasted a lifetime.
On 22 July 1967, Peter married Bridie McEvoy from Vicarstown, Co. Laois. She was a wonderful ally to Peter throughout his professional career. The couple had four children.
Peter was the youngest of a family of three. He was predeceased by his siblings, Mary Anne (Cissy) Kelly, who died in 1949 aged 27 and Katie Murphy who passed away in August 1990.
Peter's greatest regret was that his did not follow an acting career - referred to by son John during his dad's funeral Mass last Thursday morning in the Star of the Sea Church, Sandymount. His parents dissuaded him from going down the thespian route. Instead, he went to study at Warrenstown Agricultural College.
There is a theatre in Huntington Castle and it was in that setting the Peter's love for the stage first manifested itself.
But the theatres lost was rural Ireland's gain, as Peter Murphy went on to build an outstanding career centred on the farming life of the country.
In a tribute, IFA national president John Bryan described Peter Murphy as "a champion of rural Ireland and a superb communicator. His enthusiasm was evident right to the end".
The funeral Mass was celebrated by Fr. John McDonagh, PP, Sandymount, assisted by Fr Martin Cosgrove, a family friend.
On reaching Clonegal, the cortege was flanked from the outskirts of the village to the local St Brigid's Church by members of Kilbride GFC. The national flag and a No 5 Kilbride jersey were placed on the coffin.
Burial took place in the Murphy family plot in the adjoining cemetery, with Fr Joe Fleming, PP, Clonegal reciting the final prayers at the graveside.
Peter is survived by his wife Bridie, children John, Christina, Shirley and Peter, grandchildren Isabella and Rueben, son-in-law Vincent, sister-in-law Margaret, other relatives, neighbours and a large circle of friends in Dublin and Carlow.
Courtesy of the Carlow Nationalist
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