John Murphy (priest) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Murphy
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John Murphy; mid 19th century portrait from a contemporary black and white sketch
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| Born | c. 1753 |
| Died | 2 July 1798 (aged 44–45) Tullow, County Carlow, Kingdom of Ireland
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Catholic priest |
John Murphy (born around 1753 – died July 2, 1798) was an Irish Catholic priest. He is best known for his important role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. This rebellion happened in County Wexford and is sometimes called the Wexford Rebellion.
Father Murphy led the rebels to an early victory at Oulart Hill. In the weeks that followed, he became one of the main leaders of the rebellion. After the rebellion was put down, Father Murphy was captured near Tullow in early July and executed.
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Early Life and Education
John Murphy was born in Tincurry, Ferns, County Wexford, around 1753. He was one of six children. His father, Thomas Murphy, was a successful farmer.
John went to a special secret school called a hedge school. He was very good at Latin and Greek. Later, a Jesuit priest, Father Andrew Cassin, taught him more. This helped John prepare to become a priest.
At that time, it was against the law to train priests in Ireland. So, priests had to study in other countries. Around 1779, when he was about 26, John finished his first training. He was then ordained as a priest by Bishop Nicholas Sweetman in Wexford.
Bishop Sweetman sent John to study more at a college in Seville, Spain. John stayed in Spain until 1785. His teachers said he was a hardworking student.
When he came back to Ireland, Father Murphy worked as a curate (a helper priest) in Boolavogue. He lived with a farmer named John Donohue. This helped him earn a little extra money.
By 1798, Father Murphy had been a curate for several years. He was about 45 years old. People described him as strong and quick.
The 1798 Rebellion: Why It Started
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 was mainly planned by a group called the Society of United Irishmen. This group started in 1791. They wanted to change Ireland for the better.
At first, the United Irishmen wanted peaceful changes. They wanted Ireland's own Parliament to have more power. They also wanted Catholic Emancipation, which meant Catholics would have more rights. But over time, their goals changed. They started to plan a violent revolution. They hoped France would help them.
However, the leaders of the Catholic Church in Ireland were worried. They knew that the French government had been very harsh on the Church in France. They also saw that the British government was helping Catholics who fled France. Many Irish Catholic leaders thought that a French-backed revolution would make things worse for Catholics in Ireland.
In Wexford, Father John Murphy's bishop, James Caulfield, did not want people to join the rebellion. But times were hard in Wexford. Many people were struggling because of changing food prices. This made it easy for the United Irishmen to find new members.
In the spring of 1798, the government started a harsh campaign against the United Irishmen. This made people in Wexford very scared. There were also rumors that a group called the Orange Order planned to harm Irish Catholics. This caused a lot of fear among the farmers.
Bishop Caulfield asked his priests to sign a paper saying they were loyal to the government. Father Murphy signed this paper. But he also had family and friends who were part of the United Irishmen. He seemed unsure whether to support the rebels or the government.
The Rising in County Wexford
On May 26, 1798, important news reached north Wexford. People heard that loyalists had killed suspected United Irishmen in other towns. This made the rumors about harming Catholics seem true. They also heard that the United Irishmen had started a rebellion in other counties.
At this point, Father Murphy's parishioners asked him for help. He decided to lead them in fighting back.
Battle of Oulart Hill
On the evening of May 28, a group of soldiers was attacked by farmers armed with long spears called pikes. Two soldiers were killed. After this, soldiers from nearby towns started shooting anyone they thought was involved.
Father Murphy sent groups of rebels to get weapons and burn houses of those who supported the government. Many loyalist civilians fled to the towns. The soldiers also burned many houses, including Father Murphy's own chapel.
Father Murphy gathered his supporters on Oulart Hill. Many scared local people joined them for protection. They were joined by two friendly officers from the local militia. A group of 110 soldiers attacked them. But Father Murphy and the others organized their followers. In the Battle of Oulart Hill, almost all the soldiers were killed. One rebel later said that they were "all new to war" and that Father Murphy "was of little use to us" as a commander.
Enniscorthy and Vinegar Hill
After their victory at Oulart Hill, the rebels successfully attacked Enniscorthy. This made their army bigger and gave them more weapons. However, the rebels lost battles at New Ross, Arklow, and Newtownbarry. This meant they lost men and weapons.
Father John Murphy went back to the rebel headquarters at Vinegar Hill. He tried to make its defenses stronger. On June 21, 20,000 British troops arrived in Wexford with cannons. They defeated the rebels, who mostly had pikes, at the Battle of Vinegar Hill. But many rebels managed to escape and keep fighting.
Father Murphy's Capture and Death
Father John Murphy and other leaders tried to spread the rebellion to other parts of Ireland. But on June 26, 1798, their forces were defeated at the Battle of Kilcumney Hill in County Carlow.
Murphy and his bodyguard, James Gallagher, got separated from the main group. Father Murphy decided to go to a friend's house in Tullow, County Carlow, for safety. Friends and even strangers helped them hide. One Protestant woman hid them in her house. When soldiers asked if anyone had passed by, she said no. She later explained that they hadn't "passed" because they were still inside her house.
After a few days, soldiers captured Father Murphy and Gallagher in a farmyard on July 2, 1798. They were taken to Tullow. There, they were put on trial by a military court. They were accused of fighting against the British crown and sentenced to death.
Both men were questioned. Father Murphy was executed. His body was treated in a harsh way as a warning to anyone else who fought against the British Crown.
Father Murphy's Legacy
There is only one portrait of Father Murphy. It was made in the mid-1800s based on a sketch found after his death. This portrait is now kept in Boolavogue.
There is a statue of Father John Murphy in the center of Tullow, where he was captured and executed. The statue has a basic story of his role in 1798 written on its base.
Father Murphy became one of the most famous leaders of the Wexford rising. People remember him for his leadership and his surprising skill in organizing the rebels. Many priests were involved in the rebellion, but John Murphy became the most well-known. This was likely because of books written about the rebellion later on.
Later histories often said that the rebel priests fought for "faith and fatherland." They didn't always mention that these priests were United Irishmen supporters. When Father Murphy's portrait was restored, a priest's collar was added to it.
Father Murphy's remains are buried in the old Catholic graveyard in Ferns, County Wexford.
Cultural Depictions
- Father Murphy is remembered in several Irish rebel songs. One famous song is the ballad Boolavogue, written in 1898.
- Father John Murphy is a main character in the 2015 American musical The Guns of Ireland. This musical is about the Wexford Rebellion of 1798 and the Easter Rising of 1916. In the musical, Father Murphy leads the Wexford rebels until his execution. He also appears symbolically in a later scene about the 1916 Easter Rising.
