An Irish Diary on William Lombard Murphy (1876-1943)

William Lombard Murphy (1876-1943) was the son of the businessman and newspaper proprietor William Martin Murphy (1844-1919). That is sometimes how he is referred to but William Lombard Murphy had an interesting story in his own right. I have just written an Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about him. Read it here.

 

Photograph of William Lombard Murphy (1876-1943).

Educated at Jesuit-run schools in Ireland (Belvedere College, Dublin and Clongowes Wood College, Kildare) and Austria (Feldkirk) and university in England (Cambridge), he was fluent in French and German. He studied medicine and practiced abroad and in Ireland for a good number of years before taking over his father's affairs when his father died in 1919. He was in charge of Independent Newspapers when the new offices were built on Middle Abbey Street in 1924. 

 

Independent House, Middle Abbey Street, Dublin. Image source.

Very involved with various different aspects of Dublin business life (Chamber of Commerce, Irish Tourist Association, Publicity Club of Ireland) and social life (Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society, Herald Boot Fund, Belvedere Newsboys' Club), he seems to have been slightly forgotten by the general public. However, some links still remain such as the Lombard Murphy Cup awarded at the Feis Ceoil every year.

RTÉ Brainstorm article on 5 Irish-born athletes at the Olympics

Ireland did not compete as an independent delegation at the Olympic Games until 1924. Prior to that, Irish-born athletes competed for other nations such as the United Kingdom (of which Ireland was a part until 1922) or the USA or Canada. I have just written an article for the RTÉ Brainstorm website on five of the Irish-born athletes who competed for other countries. Read it here.

 

Programme cover from the 1908 Games. Image source.

Given that she was the first Irish-born woman to win an Olympic medal, Beatrice Hill-Lowe (1868-1951) is one of the more unusual athletes that I wrote about. Born in Ardee in Co. Louth, she lived in England for a large part of her lifetime but she also spent time in Celbridge, Co. Kildare in the 1920s. If you would like to know more about her, you will find is a good bit of information in her entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography here. There is a short YouTube video here showing women taking shots with their bows and arrows at the 1908 Olympic Games in London and she is among them.  

Kennedy 'Ken' McArthur is another interesting Irish-born athlete who competed for another country. He represented South Africa in the Marathon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. It was a grueling race that was run in extremely hot temperatures that caused around half of the competitors to drop out before the finish. This page on the Olympics website lists all of those who entered and those who did not finish the race. There is a short video of McArthur at the Olympic Games in Stockholm here.

RTÉ Brainstorm article on 100 years of Ireland at the Olympics

It is 100 years since Ireland first competed at the Olympic Games as an independent delegation. Prior to that, Irish people went to the Olympics as part of the Great Britain delegation, so Ireland's participation at the 1924 Games in Paris is important as it marks a step on Ireland's path to freedom. I have just written an article for the RTÉ Brainstorm website on the Irish team that went to Paris in 1924. Read it here.

 

Screenshot of the article.

I have written a few more pieces like this about Ireland and the Olympics and will share them when they are published. If you would like to find out more about the story of Ireland's first time at the Olympics, there is more information here on the website of the Centre Culturel Irlandais. The book Gold, Silver and Green: The Irish Olympic Journey 1896-1924 by Kevin McCarthy provides a good basis to understand the history of Ireland's Olympic journey.

Regarding early Irish entries into the Olympics, there are a couple of good articles on the History Ireland website. There is this one on boxing and this one on football.

Talk in Glasnevin Cemetry on William Lombard Murphy - 14 July 2024

Every year the French embassy in Ireland holds a ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin to honour those Irishmen who fought for France. This includes those who fought during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). It usually takes place on France's national holiday - 14 July.

 

Photograph of me speaking at the ceremony in Glasnevin Cemetery 14 July 2024.

Every year for the last number of years, an Irish recipient of the French Légion d'honneur is commemorated after the ceremony. This year it was William Lombard Murphy (1876-1943) who was remembered at the graveyard. I was asked by the embassy to speak about Dr Murphy's life and times. I was pleased to do so and was delighted to meet members of his extended family who were present at the ceremony. I am writing a newspaper article based on my speech and will share more details as soon as it is published.