MountainofMystery;OfFionnthebrave;

OfSaint-scholaredGael;Oflegendandtale–Iamyourslave.

‘SlieveGullion’(AtSlieveGullion’sFoot,1940)

MICHAEL J. MURPHY (1913-1996)

Writer, Collector, Photographer

MichaelJosephMurphywasborninLiverpoolin1913,thesonofMichaelandMaryMurphy,

bothnaDvesofDrumintee,southArmagh.Itwasfromtheirlipsthathelearnthisfirststories.His

fatherMichael-'MickyBuck'-hadhimselfinheritedhisstoreoftalesfromhisgrandfather,

WilliamJordanofTievecrominthesamedistrict,aGaelicwriterandminorpoet.Michaellivedhis

firsteightyearsinLiverpoolbeforethefamilyreturnedtoIreland.Asaconsequencemuchof

MichaelJ.'snurturingtookplaceinDrumintee,intheshadowofSlieveGullion.Hisupbringing

andhisdaysworkingasafarmlabourer,andthemountainitself,profoundlyshapedhisworld

view.Thismuchisevidentinhisfirstpublishedwork,AtSlieveGullion'sFoot(1940).Inhis

introducDonhewrites:

ForitisessenBallyasimplelifeinthevalleysamongthehillsofSlieveGullion.Itcarriesa

heritage;mountainsgiveoneacertainstandardwhichgovernsone’swholeoutlook.They

takeagripontheheartasonegrowsandalwaysleaveonewithwhatthepeoplesay,“a

grah”foritforever.AndnowcomewithmetoahouseontheeasternslopeofSlieve

Gullion...itwasinthishousethatthesechaptersreallybegan;anditwasatthishousethatI

reallybecameamanofthemountains.(Murphy1940)

MichaelJ.MurphysiUngatoptheDaaikilmorewithSlieveGullioninbackground(1963).

CBÉGF008.25.00003

ThebookpreservesadetailedaccountofthecustomsandtradiDonsassociatedwiththe

communitythatformedatthebaseofthemountain.Thecoveritselfisillustratedwitha

photographofchildreninthecompanyofareaperholdingthe'cailleach',thelastsheafofthe

harvesttobecut,withSlieveGullionloominginthebackground.Murphy'sbookquicklya]racted

thea]enDonofSéamusÓDuilearga,Honorary

DirectoroftheIrishFolkloreCommission,who

invitedhimtoworkpart-Dmeonbehalfofthe

CommissioniniDally,andfull-Dmefrom1949.

FromthenunDlhisreDrementin1983,Michael

wasengagedincollecDngfolklorethroughout'old

Ulster'–ashehimselftermsitinhisintroducDon

toNowYou'reTalking(1975)–anareaextending

fromRathlinIslandtoCo.Louth.Butwhileeast

UlsterandnorthLeinsterwasthefocusofmuchof

hiscollecDng,hisfieldworkalsoextendedtoparts

ofwestUlster(withtheexcepDonofDonegal)and

thebordercounDesofnorthConnaught.His

chosenprofessionpresenteditsownchallenges:

ThequestitselfandtheoccupaBonoffolklorecollecBngwerestrange,andsuspicions

hadtobeallayed:peopletendedtosuspectthecollectorofallkindsofsecretmissions–

aGovernmentagentkeepinganeyeonvalidandinvalidsubsidiesofonekindor

another,aclerkwhohadabscondedwiththeBll,aschoolmasterhoundedfromhis

school,evenarevoluBonaryontherun!(Murphy1975:vii)

InhisDmewiththeCommission(andfrom1971,theDepartmentofIrishFolklore,

UniversityCollegeDublin),hecollected250boundvolumes–inexcessof30,000typescriptpages

–ofmaterial,whichnowformspartoftheNaDonalFolkloreCollecDon.Thematerialconsists

primarilyofinterviewtranscripts,aswellasnotesanddiaryentries.From1962,whenhebegan

usingataperecorderinthefield,audiorecordingsofhisinterviewshavebeenpreserved,

amounDngtosome340five-inchandseven-inchreels.

MurphywasexcepDonalamonghisfellowcollectorsforhisextensiveuseofthecamerain

hisfieldwork.Withithedocumentedimagesofhisinformantsandthematerialcultureoftheir

lives,capturingavaluablevisualrecordthatcomplementshiswriDng.Noteverybodythatcame

hiswaywasagreeablefortheirpicturetobetaken–oneCo.Downinformantrefusedtohavehis

picturetakenonthegroundsthattheimagemightbeusedinsorcerytocauseinjurytohim(CBÉ

1975:151).

Mostwere,however,happyfortheirphotographtobetaken,somethingwhichaddstothevalue

ofMichaelJ.'sefforts.Hewasateaseintheircompany,'Itisatreatandadelighttoconversewith

theoldpeople.TheirsincerityisgenuineandinfecBousanddoesonegood'(CBÉ1940:9).Inthe

notesaccompanyinghistranscriptsherecordsimportantbiographicaldetailsofpeoplehehas

interviewed.AlthoughIrishwasnolongerspokeninsouthArmaghattheDmeheworked,there

remainedanoccasionalpersoncapableof

speakingit,andMurphy'sspecialinterestinthem

isevident.WriDngin1948ofMaryNugent,from

Aghadavoyle,Co.Armagh,oneofthelastnaDve

speakersofIrishinthedistrict,hesays:

HereIwouldliketorecordmyregretthatI

donotknowIrishbecauseMaryNugent

brokeintoGaelicandspokeitforaboutfive

minutes.Isattrulyentranced,listeningtoit

singoffherlips,notknowingaword,but

feelingmovedinanewandevenproudway.

SheoRenandverynaturallybreaksintoa

wordorphraseortwoofIrish,notaware

thatshehasdoneso.Thishappensusually

whenheremoBonsaresBrred,either

humorouslyorotherwise.(CBÉ1113:42)

Full-DmecollectorsworkingfortheIrishFolkloreCommissionwererequiredtokeepajournalof

theiracDviDes,includingcontextualinformaDonoftheirrecordingsessions,theirinformants,and

moregeneralremarks.ManyofMurphy’sentriesareexcepDonalforwhattheyrevealofhis

relaDonshipwithhisinformantsandtheirpersonalqualiDes.OnemanfrequentlymenDonedis

Frank‘Wings’Campbell(Fig.16).Inadiaryentrydated26May,1969Murphynotes:

PoorFrankCampbell(hewas75onSaturdaylasthesays)visiblywizening.Heisagenial

oldfellow,lovesthecrack,lovesto“getstuckintoanargument”anddrinksboZlesofstout.

Hewantedtotellmeaboutdonkeys,atradiBonhehadremembered.Fromthiswewenton

tootheritemsI’dheardhimmenBon;andinaddiBongotsomeanecdotaltales,earthyas

cow-dung….(CBÉ1749:112)

MaryNugentandhergranddaughter,Aghadavoyle,Co.Armagh(c.1948).CBÉGM004.25.00033

Thefollowingmonth(29June,1969)MurphyenteredLarkin’spubinForkill,casuallynoDnginhis

diary,‘NopubsofficiallyorlegallyopenhereonSunday,butthatdoesn’tseemtoma]er’.There

hemetFrankandthetwomenhappilyconversedwithoneanother.Hewrites:

SoFrankwasthere,andatonce:

“Isay,Mickey:there’sathingcomeintomyheadtheotherday…”

Andwe’reoffagain.AndaRertwentyminutesorhalfanhourFrankwillleanback,

erectwhileholdinghissBckonthefloor,andlaugh:

“Thediviltookthehousesinceyoucomein.Howthehellisityoualwaysrisesome

greatcrackbetweenus.”

MoreoRenFrankrisesithimself!(CBÉ1749:126-7)

WhentheconversaDonendedandMurphywasabouttoleave,Frankappealedtohimtonot

delaysolongDlltheirnextmeeDng.

MichaelJ.Murphydiedonthe18thMay,1996.Athiswake,BoAlmqvist,ProfessorofIrish

FolkloreatUniversityCollegeDublin,recalledacommentMurphyoncemadeaboutthepeople

fromwhomhecollectedfolklore:‘“Itisapitythatpeoplelikethemwilleverhavetodie.ButsBll,”

heconBnued,“theywillnotdie–theirtalesandtradiBonsarepreservedandwillliveontothe

pleasureandprofitoffuturegeneraBons”’(Almqvist1996–7:365).ItisthankstoMichaelJ.

Murphy,themanfromthemountain,thataporDonatleastofthisinvaluableheritagehasbeen

preserved.

ThisexhibiDonservestohighlightandtocelebratethecollector’seffortstopreservea

visualrecordofthepeopleandtradiDonsheencountered,tostandalongsidehisvastwri]en

collecDonoffolklore.Murphycompiledsome1,300medium-andlarge-formatnegaDvesinthe

courseofhisfieldwork,ofwhichmorethanathirdweretakeninhisnaDvecountyofArmagh,a

substanDalporDonofwhichhavenowbeendigiDzedandarenowaccessibleatwww.duchas.ie.

References

CBÉ=MainManuscriptCollecDon,NaDonalFolkloreCollecDonUCD.(www.duchas.ie)

CBÉG=NaDonalFolkloreCollecDonUCD.(www.duchas.ie)

Almqvist,B.1996–97.‘MichaelJ.Murphy(1913-1996)’,Béaloideas64/65,362-65.

Murphy,M.J.1940.AtSlieveGullion’sFoot.DundalganPress:Dundalk.

Murphy,M.J.1975.NowYou’reTalking…FolkTalesfromtheNorthofIreland.BlackstaffPress:Belfast

Fig.1.ViewofDruminteetowardsthesoutheast(May1966).CBÉGA001.25.00007

Fig.2.MichaelJ.Murphypicturedoutside‘Ke]yBucks’houseonDruminteeMountain

Road(orSlieveGullionMountainRoad),wherehelivedfortheyears1946-1948(July

1963).CBÉGA015.25.00057

Fig.3.BalinghayatPatrickO'Hare's,Annahaia(1966).CBÉGB028.25.00015

Fig.4.StephenCorneyofDernaroy,Druminteesprayingpotatoes.SlieveGullionin

background(July1965).CBÉGB024.25.00008

Fig.5.StephenCorneyandhisson,Drumintee(July1965).CBÉGB024.25.00005

Fig.6.MickyKelly(agedabout67)labourer,Drumintee(October1965).

CBÉGM004.25.00034

Fig.7.BarneyLocheandMickyKelly,Drumintee(October1965).CBÉGM004.25.00006

Fig.8.MaryAliceMorganandherhusbandArthurMorgan(aged94),Carrickbroad

(June1969).CBÉGM004.25.00044

“WaslastnightwitholdArthurMorganofBallinamona,Carrickbroad…Justonhis

birthdaytooasithappened:heis94.AndIhadaweejorumofstoutwithme.Invery

goodform,butthememoryfadingandthehearingalso.Hiswife,MaryAlice,looking

remarkablyfitandyoung:thesewerealwaysaveryfinecouple…ListeningtoArthur

recordafewfairytales…amstruckmoreforciblythaneverofthetruewonderinthese

accounts:theincident,thepeople,thetelling.”(CBÉ1748:36-38)

Fig.9.WoodendoublegatemadeathomeofOwenQuinn(inpicture),Carrickbroad,

Drumintee(September1962).CBÉGA043.25.00005

Fig.10.LastthatchsurvivinginDruminteeatMickyKelly's.HouseknownlocallyasAnne

Corney's–AnnewasKelly'smother(April1965).CBÉGA015.25.00012

Fig.11.LarryMcAllisteroutsidehishomeinFathom(April1964).CBÉGA015.25.00003

“LarryMcAllister…AfreeenoughsoulandIhavealwayshadacrackwithhimandtriedto

getwhatlorehecouldremember…Hisfatherwasagoodstoryteller,themanfromwhom

thelateDanRooneyofLurgancantyhereinCo.Downlearnedmanytalesand

tradiBons.”(CBÉ1698:26)

Fig.12.SheepfoldatLarryMcAllister's,Fathom(April1964).CBÉGB024.25.00001

Fig.13.Hand-stacksofoatsreferredtolocallyas‘atucks’(Ir.adóg)beingconstructedat

PeterToal's,Drumintee(October1965).CBÉGB028.25.00004

Fig.14.SchoolchildreninBelleekatplayinthespacebetweenschoolandtheroadway

(May1965).CBÉGE004.25.00002

Fig.15.Miss'Babs'Haughey,whosefamilyrunLarkin'spublichouseinForkhill(April

1969).CBÉGM004.25.00005

Fig.16.BarneyShor],MichaelJ.MurphyandFrank'Wings'CampbelloutsideLarkin's

publichouseinForkhill(April1969).CBÉGM004.25.00014

Fig.17.Frank'Wings'Campbell,Forkhill,Newry(June1963).CBÉGM004.25.00017

“Isay,Mickey:there’sathingcomeintomeheadtheotherday…Andwe’reoffagain.AndaRer

twentyminutesorhalfanhourFrankwillleanback,erectwhileholdinghissBckonthefloor,and

laugh:‘Thediviltookthehousesinceyoucomein.Howthehellisityoualwaysrisesomegreat

crackbetweenus.’MoreoRenFrankrisesithimself!”(CBÉ1749:127)

Fig.18.Michael‘TheMilestone’Quinn,Ballinamaddy,Drumintee.Anotedlocalman

referredtoindataanddiariesofMichaelJ.Murphy.Knownas'Milestone'becausethe

public-houseofQuinn'sinNewryisknownas‘TheMilestone’.HediedMarch1966,and

isburiedinDruminteecemetery(1965).CBÉGM004.25.00057

Fig.19.Michael‘TheMilestone’Quinn,tendingtohisca]leatCarrickbroad(1965).

CBÉGM004.25.00063

Fig.20.PhotographbyEllenE]lingerofMichaelJ.MurphyandhiswifeAliceandtheir

sons.MichaelisholdinghissonMichael,asPatricksitsonastonetothesideofthedoor

–acommonfeatureinhousesthen(February1947).CBÉGM004.25.00068