John Murphy (fiddler) facts for kids

John Francis Murphy (1875–1955) was known as Boss Murphy. He lived in Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. Even though he was a farmer, he loved playing the fiddle and was very good at it.

His father, William Murphy, was also a fiddle player and even made fiddles! John learned to play from his father and owned a fiddle his dad had made. John's brother and three sisters also played, but they stopped as they grew up. John's father taught him to read music, learning from a special hidden school called a hedge school. Later, the same teacher, Thomas Croke, often stayed with the Murphy family and likely taught young John directly.

The Boss Becomes a Master Musician

By the 1890s, John Murphy was a skilled musician. He was becoming well-known in his area. He often played at house dances, stages, and music sessions. He even traveled to places like Kanturk to hear other musicians or join in their playing.

John also frequently visited the Military Barracks in Buttevant. There, he listened to the military band practice. Afterward, he would often play his fiddle for the people gathered in the bandroom.

After Murphy got married in the 1910s, his home became a popular spot. Local and traveling musicians would gather there to play and talk about music. Two regular visitors were local fiddler Jim Callaghan and traveling fiddle teacher Jim Condon.

In the early 1900s, Churchtown was a busy place for traveling entertainment groups. These groups would stay for a few weeks, offering music, plays, acrobatics, magic tricks, and puppet shows. Many musicians from these groups were invited to play at the Murphy house. John especially respected one traveling player known as 'Jim the fiddler.' They spent many evenings playing music, and John learned new tunes from him.

Changing Focus

John Murphy stayed on his family farm his whole life. As he had more responsibilities to his family and farm, he played music less often. He only performed at occasional concerts or played for dancers at feiseanna (Irish dance competitions).

However, John had a big dream. He wanted to pass on the musical traditions he learned to his children. He tried to teach them the fiddle and even got help from Jim Condon. But his children were not very interested and didn't learn to play well. His daughters did play a little piano, but this didn't make John happy. He thought piano music was only for "drawing rooms" and not as good as fiddle playing.

By the early 1930s, John Murphy gave up on his own children learning the fiddle. He started thinking about future generations. He saw that many old tunes were disappearing. He also noticed that fewer people were interested in traditional music.

John wanted to save his collection of tunes for his family's future. So, he began to write them down in a special book. He had already written some in notebooks, and he remembered many others. This huge task of writing down the music took him three years, from 1933 to 1935. If he had any problems writing the music, he would ask for help at Pigott's music shop in Cork.

The Boss's Legacy

In his later years, John Murphy suffered from arthritis. This condition eventually made it impossible for him to play the fiddle. He passed away in May 1955, after a road accident.

His special fiddle music book is still with his family today. It contains 263 tunes! These tunes are divided into different types like Airs, Flings, Galops, Hornpipes, Jigs, Marches, Mazurkas, Polkas, Quadrilles, Reels, Set Dances, Schottisches, and Waltzes.

The book has many tunes and musical styles that are no longer commonly played. It shows the kind of music a traditional musician played in the Churchtown and Liscarroll areas of North Cork in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some non-Irish tunes might be in the book because local musicians played with the military band in Buttevant Barracks. Traveling teachers and musicians also influenced the music in the area.

The Shandrum Ceili Band has won three All-Ireland Ceili Band competitions in a row (2015, 2016, and 2017). They have recorded 15 songs from The Boss Murphy Musical Legacy. This new CD was released in 2019.