Honouring a hunger striker from 1920

A commemorative tree honouring an Irish Republican who died on hunger strike in Cork in 1920 has been planted.

The ceremony for Volunteer Joseph (Joe) Murphy took place directly opposite the steps of Lynn City Hall and was performed by the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Fergal Dennehy and Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts, Jared Nicholson. It formed part of the lord mayor’s visit to Massachusetts for a Learning Cities event in nearby Lowell.

The Lord Mayor of Cork said: “It was a poignant and deeply meaningful moment to see the name of a man who paid the ultimate sacrifice for something he believed in so strongly finally recognised in the city of his birth.”

Joseph Patrick Murphy was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on 10 May 1895 to Irish parents Timothy Murphy and Nora O’Brien. His family returned to Cork when he was still a young child, settling in Pouladuff.

He attended Togher National School, then located in what is today the Social Services Centre, and grew up as an active member of the local community.

He played with St Finbarr’s GAA club, worked for the then Cork Corporation, and helped his family run their market garden.

Murphy later became an officer in the Irish Republican Army, serving with H Company, 2nd Battalion, Cork No. 1 Brigade.

In July 1920 he was arrested and charged with possession of a bomb.

Like many IRA prisoners of the period, he joined the mass hunger strike in Cork Gaol after the British authorities removed political status from republican prisoners.

On 25 October 1920, Joseph Murphy died at Cork Gaol after 76 days on hunger strike.

However, his death was overshadowed in the public consciousness because it occurred on the same day as the death of lord mayor, Terence MacSwiney, who died on hunger strike in Brixton Prison.

Contemporary reports note that Murphy was so gravely ill that he was not informed of MacSwiney’s death, nor of the earlier death of fellow hunger striker, Michael Fitzgerald.

Although one of 22 Irish Republicans to die on hunger strike in the 20th century, Murphy’s story received far less attention than others, despite the extremity of his sacrifice.

The lord mayor noted that Murphy’s early years in Lynn, before the family returned to Ireland, formed an important part of his identity.

While the Lynn house where the Murphy family once lived no longer exists, the lord mayor travelled to the site to view the area.

Discussions are now underway with the current homeowner about the possibility of placing a commemorative plaque on the original wall that survives from the period.

Murphy’s childhood home in Cork, now known as Joe Murphy House, remains a local landmark, and the tree planted in Lynn symbolically links both cities in shared remembrance.

“It was certainly a moment of pride for me personally, but also a huge honour to see his city of birth recognise him with a tree, a living memory, opposite the steps of Lynn City Hall,” the lord mayor said.

He added that the gesture ensures that Joseph Murphy’s name, once overshadowed by the tragic timing of his death, will now be remembered by future generations in both Cork and Lynn.

During the visit Stateside, the lord mayor discussed Cork’s intentionally recognised lifelong learning initiatives with Lowell, which recently became America’s first designated learning city.

Cork has held learning city status since 2015 and last year became the first city in the world to win the UNESCO Learning City Award twice.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.