I ring the doorbell of his house and wait for a reply. I am nervous. My heart is beating faster than normal and my palms are slightly sweaty. I’ve never met this man before, never spoken to him, but I’ve heard a lot about him. I’ve heard about his outstanding journalistic talent. I’ve heard about his unique way with words. I’ve heard about the stories he has broken down through the years. His name is known all over the country. And with good reason.
He opens his door and warmly welcomes me into his home. For all intents and purposes I am stranger to this man, yet he talks to me as if we are lifelong friends. He leads me into the sitting room and we sit down. His laid-back attitude immediately puts me at ease. My nerves slip away, though not completely. I am still aware of who I am about to interview. He is a man with a very successful journalistic career. A man with a career spanning over 50 years. His name is John A. Murphy.
He begins by telling me about his younger years and his childhood. He describes his school days in Cashel, Co.Tipperary:
“I was a moderate student. I wasn’t great at anything, but I was brilliant at English.”
He recalls a funny story from his school days where his primary school teacher at the time, Brother Dowling, said to him, “you’re going to be a journalist”. John A. remembers how he raced home that evening to his mother and proudly announced that he was going to be a journalist when he grew up. His next question to his mother was; “Mammy, what is a journalist?”
I can see he is a good storyteller from the way he recounts this particular story. His whole face lights up, he speaks with an abundance of energy and humour and I am left laughing and smiling by the time he has finished. Following on from his childhood ambition, John A. says he always knew that journalism was the right career for him.
“I had an intense interest in GAA and a fantastic grasp of the English language,” he says.
He decided to combine the two together in journalism. He reveals that he was “extremely lucky” to break into journalism. He had just moved to Dungarvan, Co. Waterford when the chief reporter of the Dungarvan Observer left and a vacancy opened up for a senior journalist. Deciding to chance his arm he got in touch with the regional newspaper to see what they had to say.
“I’m not a senior journalist but I’m very good,” he told them.
To see if he was as good as he said he was, they sent him home and told him to write a mock news story and a mock sports story of 500 words each. He was true to his word and the following day he accepted the job offer and began working in the Dungarvan Observer.
He remained with the Dungarvan Observer until January 1960 when he accepted a job from the Irish Examiner. It was a job he would pursue for 47 years. In the Examiner he worked on both sports and news stories. He describes himself as “a bit of a freak” as he was the only journalist in the Examiner who reported in two different sections.
“I was a jack of all trades and a master of none,” he says laughing.
In a career extending over five decades John A., understandably, has a myriad of stories, experience and knowledge to share. When asked about the highlight of his career he declares that it was, “without a doubt”, a work trip to Rome where he met Pope John Paul II. Again his excellent storytelling ability is evident as he recounts the memory. He describes everything so accurately and so precise. He recalls how he made the trip to Rome a few months after the Pope had been to Ireland. Upon meeting the Pope, John A. remembers how nervous he was.
“My knees were knocking,” he says.
He recounts vividly the conversation they shared:
“You didn’t come to Cork when you visited Ireland Holy Father.”
“I didn’t my son. If I come back to Ireland I will come to Cork.”
Having made this promise he then pressed his rosary beads into John A.’s hands. He still has them. The following morning the banner headline of the Examiner read; “Pope pledges to come to Cork” by John A. Murphy. On the other end of the scale there have been days of tragedy that John A. has duly had to report on. Recounting one particular horrific car crash, in the early 1960′s, where three people died, John A says he will “never forget it”.
“I cried at the scene,” he says honestly.
Being actively involved in journalism for over 50 years means John A. has seen the profession go through many changes. ”I’m not certain I’d survive in today’s world of journalism,” he says. ”It has changed in a major way.”
Speaking about the decline of print journalism and the move to online journalism, John A. has a very clear opinion:
“Weekly newspaper sales, national and regional, are dropping like a ton of bricks. I see, in a decade or less, a lot of newspapers will have gone to the wall.”
Talking about the job itself John A. describes it as a “tough enough profession”. The biggest difficulty is getting into it, the vacancies are just not there, he says. Despite it being a difficult and often demanding job, he says it is a job that offers huge variation:
“No two days are the same,” he says.
His charismatic and outgoing personality are also well suited to his role as a journalist:
“I love meeting people,” he says.
He describes the difficulty of covering stories he does not agree with. He emphasises the fact that you must never allow your own personal feelings to intervene. “Factually and fairly” is an essential requirement to writing a good story he says.
Last year John A. was honoured with a surprise ‘This Is Your Life’ ceremony. The event, which was held in Dungarvan’s Town Hall and organised primarily by his family, was a celebration of the many achievements of John A.’s outstanding career in both journalism and GAA administration.
His daughter Sharon expresses her views on the occasion:
“It was a fantastic night. The admiration and respect that came from friends and colleagues we interviewed could not make you anything but proud. That night was a tribute to the great journalist, friend and Dad that he is. It will live long in all our memories.”
Similarly his other daughter Jackie reveals how the night was “special” as “it gave us an insight into how well-respected he is and the high esteem in which he is held. Sometimes when you’re part of it all your life you don’t see it.”
Away from his family John A. is highly spoken of among his work colleagues. WLR-fm’s GAA Commentator, Kieran O’Connor, with whom John A. has worked closely with has this to say:
“He is an unbelievable talent as a journalist. He has a great personality and character and a great knowledge of a wide range of subjects.”
Before I wrap up my interview with John A. and depart his house, he leaves me with some valuable advice:
“Listen to all the people that matter Rebecca. It will be to your benefit. Never reach a place where you think you know it all”.
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