Timothy Joseph Murphy (17 July 1893 – 29 April 1949) was an Irish
Labour Party politician who served as
Minister for Local Government from 1948 to 1949. He served as a
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...
(TD) for the
Cork West constituency from 1923 to 1949.
Early life
Known as 'TJ', he was born in
Clondrohid
Clondrohid () is a village and civil parish in County Cork, Ireland, four miles (6 km) north of Macroom. As of the 2016 census, the population of the village was recorded as 179, down from 188 people as of the 2011 census.
Geography
Parish ...
,
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
,
[Cadogan, Tim & Falvey, Jeremiah: ''A Biographical Dictionary of Cork'', Four Courts Press (2006), ] son of Timothy Murphy, carpenter, and Mary Murphy (née Shea).
He moved to
Dunmanway
Dunmanway (, official Irish name: ) is a market town in County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant republican, for whom the tr ...
, County Cork around 1920, having been earlier educated at the Clondrohid and
Macroom
Macroom (; ga, Maigh Chromtha) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of ...
National Schools.
In his teens he was influenced by the activities of the
Irish Land and Labour Association
The Irish Land and Labour Association (ILLA) was a progressive movement founded in the early 1890s in Munster, Ireland, to organise and pursue political agitation for small tenant farmers' and rural labourers' rights. Its branches also spread into ...
as well as the politics of
William O'Brien
William O'Brien (2 October 1852 – 25 February 1928) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of ...
.
During these years he became involved in a
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
and with the Labour Party.
He was involved in journalism for a period, and became a salesman for Singer sewing machines before moving to Dunmanway around 1919.
Politician
Trade unionist
By 1922, he became branch Secretary of the Dunmanway ITGWU. His was also involved in local politics and had a role in the election of fellow ITGWU activist in Dunmanway, Michael Bradley, to the Dáil in the
1922 general election.
He expanded the role of 'labour clubs' and was involved in the formation of virtually every Labour Club between 1926 and the early 1930s.
TD and councillor (1923–1949)
Following Bradley's death in 1922, he contested the selection convention for the
1923 general election. At the Labour Party selection convention two Timothy Murphy's were nominated with the Dunmanway Murphy winning out by one vote over Timothy from
Clonakilty
Clonakilty (; ), sometimes shortened to Clon, is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is located at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. The rural hinterland is used mainly for dairy farming. The town's population as of 2016 was 4,592. Th ...
.
He was first elected to
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...
at the 1923 general election as a Labour Party
TD for
Cork West.
He was re-elected for this constituency as a Labour Party TD at the next nine general elections, until his death,
but remained on the opposition benches of the Dáil until 1948 when the Labour Party joined the
First Inter-Party Government
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
. The
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
John A. Costello then appointed him as
Minister for Local Government in February of that year.
He took a running mate in 1943 and 1944 but failed to deliver a second seat.
In the Dáil he supported the Treaty, urged
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...
to reject their abstentionist policy and return to normal politics. He was, however, in favour of Labour being an independent party and opposed the party supporting Fianna Fáil in government.
He had also sat on the Cork County Council from 1925, representing the Dunmanway local electoral area (1925–42) and the Skibereen local electoral area from 1942 until his resignation from the council in July 1948. He served on a number of county council committees and as vice-chairman and Chairman of the council, and was also a member of the West Cork board of public assistance and public health.
Murphy advocated for Christian Socialism and the
co-operative movement
The history of the cooperative movement concerns the origins and history of cooperatives across the world. Although cooperative arrangements, such as mutual insurance, and principles of cooperation existed long before, the cooperative movement bega ...
.
Michael O'Riordan controversy (1944)
Murphy has been described as having been involved in the controversy surrounding the Liam Mellow branch of the Labour Party and
Michael O'Riordan
Michael O'Riordan ( ga, Mícheál Ó Ríordáin; 12 November 1917 – 18 May 2006) was the founder of the Communist Party of Ireland (3rd) and also fought with the Connolly Column in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.
Ea ...
. A report in ''
The Irish Press
''The Irish Press'' (Irish: ''Scéala Éireann'') was an Irish national daily newspaper published by Irish Press plc between 5 September 1931 and 25 May 1995.
Foundation
The paper's first issue was published on the eve of the 1931 All-Ireland ...
'' suggested that the Administrative Council had become aware that certain persons in Cork were engaging in activities which appear to be inconsistent with their membership of the Labour Party and they appointed a subcommittee to investigate the membership and administration of the Liam Mellows Branch. This was headed up by Murphy as vice-chair. They heard the complaint against O'Riordan and Nagle being present at the (NI) Communist Party conference. Following an investigation, the two Cork members were expelled on 5 February 1944 and the 4 Dublin members in April. O'Riordan would later accuse Murphy of "red-baiting".
Cabinet: Minister for Local Government (1948–1949)
Local Authority Manager Philip Monahan told Cork Corporation in 1948 that an experiment to build houses by direct labour had been suggested by Murphy. To proceed with the direct labour experiment, the City Manager was in the process of appointing an assistant architect, a draughtsman, an assistant engineer and a foreman. Concurrently, Monahan had decided to build other houses by contract so that the corporation could then decide if one method was superior to the other. A deputation of the Cork Regional Branch of the Federation of Builders, Contractors and Allied Employers of Ireland appeared before the meeting to protest this direct labour policy, but the Corporation agreed to proceed with the project as outlined by the City Manager.
Death
Murphy died suddenly in 1949, while speaking at an Inter-Party public meeting at Pearse Square,
Fermoy
Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dái ...
,
fourteen months into his tenure as a cabinet minister. He was buried in Dunmanway Cemetery.
The
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
for his seat in the Dáil was held on 15 June 1949, and won for the Labour Party by his son,
William J. Murphy.
Legacy
An area of Murphy's home town of Dunmanway today bears the name "T.J. Murphy Place".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Timothy J.
1893 births
1949 deaths
Labour Party (Ireland) TDs
Members of the 4th Dáil
Members of the 5th Dáil
Members of the 6th Dáil
Members of the 7th Dáil
Members of the 8th Dáil
Members of the 9th Dáil
Members of the 10th Dáil
Members of the 11th Dáil
Members of the 12th Dáil
Members of the 13th Dáil
Politicians from County Cork
People from Dunmanway