Timothy J. Murphy
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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 language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...
(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 2022 census, the population of the village was recorded as 180, down slightly from 188 people as of the 2011 census. Geogr ...
,
County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
,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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant repub ...
, County Cork around 1920, having been earlier educated at the Clondrohid and
Macroom Macroom (; ) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork (city), Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of war, ...
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 (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
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 at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. The rural hinterland is used mainly for dairy farming. The town's population was 5,112 at the 2022 census. T ...
. He was first elected to
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
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 most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
. 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 nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
John A. Costello John Aloysius Costello (20 June 1891 – 5 January 1976) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957. He was leader of the opposition from 1951 to 1954 and from 1957 to 1959 and attorney gene ...
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 (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
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 (; 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. Early life O'Riordan was bo ...
. A report in ''
The Irish Press ''The Irish Press'' (irish language, Irish: ''Scéala Éireann'') was an Ireland, Irish national daily newspaper published by Irish Press plc between 5 September 1931 and 25 May 1995. History Foundation The paper's first issue was published o ...
'' 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 Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...
, 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, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
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