Joseph Patrick Murphy ( ga, Seosamh Ó Murchú; 10 May 1895 – 25 October 1920) was a member of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

who died as a result of his participation in the

1920 Cork hunger strike The 1920 Cork hunger strike began on 11 August 1920, when 65 men interned without trial in Cork County Gaol went on hunger strike, demanding release from prison, and reinstatement of their status as political prisoners. The following day, they were ...

at Cork Gaol in 1920 during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

Background

Joe Murphy was born in Lynn,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

on 10 May 1895 the son of Irish parents, Timothy Murphy and Nora O'Brien, who subsequently returned home to their native

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...

when Joe was a young child. He was educated at Togher National School and on leaving school was employed by

Cork County Council Cork County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and co ...

. He had a keen interest in the

Gaelic sports Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, ...

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

and road bowling.

Irish Republican actions, hunger strike and death

Murphy joined the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respons ...

in 1917 and became a Volunteer in C Company, Second Battalion, Cork No.1 Brigade of which he was an active member. He was involved in numerous attacks on British police and military posts including a well publicized attack on

Farran Farran () is a village in County Cork, Ireland, in the parish of Ovens. It lies on the southside of the River Lee. Farran is west from Cork City on the N22 road. The village has a primary school, creche and Montessori school, a church, comm ...

police barracks a few miles west of Cork city. Murphy was arrested by British forces on 15 July 1920 for being in possession of a dud bomb used for throwing practice and was imprisoned in

Cork County Gaol Cork County Gaol was a former prison located in Cork, Ireland. The main walls and gate entrance of the prison are today incorporated in the perimeter of University College Cork. History The main Cork County Gaol buildings were erected in the ...

. Murphy faced a

Military Tribunal Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...

but was not convicted or sentenced for any crime but was returned to Cork Gaol. On 11 August 1920 Murphy joined a large group of prisoners at the gaol on a hunger strike in conjunction with the Lord Mayor of Cork

Terence McSwiney Terence James MacSwiney (; ga, Toirdhealbhach Mac Suibhne; 28 March 1879 – 25 October 1920) was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He ...

. Another Cork hunger striker Michael Fitzgerald died eight days before Murphy - 17 October 1920. Murphy and Fitzgerald's deaths occurred just before the largest hunger strike in Irish history the 1923 Irish Hunger Strikes. Joe Murphy died after seventy-six days without food on 25 October 1920 and was buried in the

republican plot In Ireland, a republican plot is a cemetery plot where combatants or members of various Irish republican organisations are buried in a group of adjacent graves, rather than being buried with family members. These plots often hold the bodies of cas ...

St. Finbarr's Cemetery St. Finbarr's Cemetery () in Cork, Ireland, is the city's largest and one of the oldest cemeteries in Ireland which is still in use. Located on the Glasheen Road, it was first opened in the 1860s. The entrance gateway was erected circa 1865, and ...

, Cork with full military honors. His funeral cortege was led by Volunteers carrying wreaths and the American Flag. Joe Murphy is buried next to fellow hunger striker

Terence MacSwiney Terence James MacSwiney (; ga, Toirdhealbhach Mac Suibhne; 28 March 1879 – 25 October 1920) was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He ...

and the assassinated Lord Mayor of Cork

Tomás Mac Curtain Tomás Mac Curtain (20 March 1884 – 20 March 1920) was an Irish Sinn Féin politician who served as the Lord Mayor of Cork until he was assassinated by the Royal Irish Constabulary. He was elected in January 1920. Background Tomás Mac Curt ...

Remember the Hunger Strikers Glasnevin Cemetery Dublin

Honors and awards

In the late 1940s

Cork City Council Cork City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Prior to the enactment of the 2001 Act, ...

built a large new housing estate at

Ballyphehane Ballyphehane () is a suburb in the south of Cork in Ireland. It is one of the oldest suburbs in Cork and was created as part of a post-World War II initiative to create a model community in Cork. Between 1948 and 1993, a total of 11 housing schem ...

. Most of the roads in the new estate were named after prominent figures in the Irish War of Independence including local figures and one of these thoroughfares was named Joe Murphy Road in his honour as it was quite close to his home at Lower Pouladuff Road.O'Halpin, p. 202 He was posthumously awarded the Service (1917-1921) Medal with Bar by the Lord Mayor of Cork in respect of his service during the War of Independence, some 99 years after his death at a ceremony in Cork's City Hall attended by members of the defence forces and his family on 9 May 2019.

References

* Cork Jail Memorial Souvenir (pamphlet), 1948, Cló na Laoí (The Lee Press), Cork. {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Joe 1895 births 1920 deaths Irish republicans Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members People from County Cork People from Lynn, Massachusetts Irish prisoners who died on hunger strike