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