Jim Murphy – the Early Years

Jim Murphy was born on the 6th of February 1945. Born to a maritime family, in a maritime community, it’s perhaps not surprising that he chose the sea for a career. Settling in Liverpool in the mid-1960s he steadily rose through the ranks to get his masters ticket whilst sailing the world.  Now retired in Crooke – Liverpool! this blog takes a look back on his amazing life at sea and his early years in Waterford.

Willie was his father, from the Brookside, Passage East and was a seafarer and fisherman.  His mother Annie nee Duffin was from the Cross Roads, Cheekpoint and also had salt in her veins.  Jim was the eldest of 5 children, three sisters (like the rivers) Aileen, Ann and Breda and one brother Pat, the youngest.

Front l to r – Jerry Hegarty, John Connors, Willie Walsh, Jim and James Mason. Middle – John Carey, Peter Sullivan, Pat Kennedy, Pat Fowler, Joe Murray, James Fowler. Back – Connie Elliott, Don Hearne, Jim Hegarty, Larry Moran, Philly Robinson, Noel Eustace and Tommy London

School days

Passage East NS was his first schooling from 1952 -1959. The schoolhouse is now a residence on the way down to the village. Secondary school,  which wasn’t the norm at that time, was attended at Mount Sion. In an era before school transport, Jim cycled from Crooke 6 days a week including a half day on Saturday. He also cycled into a céile some Friday nights. These were held in the Mount Sion Hall on Barrack Street in the city.  In Mount Sion, all subjects were taught through Irish including English. Jim was therefore a fluent Irish speaker.

When not in school he was drawn to the river. From a young age Jim was out on the fishing punts in Cheekpoint. He fished with many including in his uncle Jim Duffin’s boat with his uncle Charlie (the wag) Duffin. Jim Murphy also fished with my father and his brothers, and Sonny Nugent amongst others.  Not surprisingly, he has many stories of fishing with the Wag!. Charlie went on to serve on the Mudboat – Portlairge until it stopped dredging the port.

Jim, Aileen and Ann on the bumper of their Uncle Jim Duffin’s car in Cheekpoint

He did his leaving certificate in 1964 and decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, Willie Murphy and his uncle Michael Murphy and go to sea. He headed to Liverpool for an interview to become a sea cadet in June 1964.  His mother brought him to town to be fitted for a custom-made suit for the task. Joe Veale was a tailor and fitted out the entire family, girls and boys, for all manner of occasions; communions, confirmations, weddings etc. Veale’s shop was on Patrick Street (where the Cinema is now located).

A summer on the Great Western

Prior to leaving for Liverpool Jim worked the summer of 1964 as deck boy aboard the Great Western. On one of his first trips he was brought to the bridge and off the Hook, the Mate offered Jim the wheel. He told him to steer towards the Coningbeg lightship.

Jim did as directed, unaware that the Great Western had a reputation for being slow to answer the helm. As the ship bore down on the lightship Jim was surprised initially but this quickly grew to alarm at the slowness of the ship to respond to the wheel. His alarm was shared by the Mate who arrived at his side looking very red in the face.

It didn’t set him back however – he earned his steering certificate that summer and he made a few extra quid on the side too.  As he told me by email – “We used to dock in Fishguard before the Rosslare passenger boat and we used to go along and help people with their luggage. It was called Hobbling for which we would get tips from the passengers.”

Great Western Crew

Many local men served on the Great Western and Jim shared the following list with me previously from his time.   They included Bosun – John Rodgers, Quarter Master – Stephen Whitty, AB – William Murphy, AB – Michael Hennessey – Passage East, AB – Jack Duffin – Crooke/Cheekpoint.  Steward – Bunny Cavanagh – Waterford, Motor man – Paddy Duffin- Cheekpoint, Cook – Eddie Flynn – Waterford.  AB – Paddy Mellor – Passage East, AB – Tommy Heffernan – Passage East, AB – Joe Reynolds – Waterford, AB – Billy Shaw – Waterford/ Passage East, AB – Christie Lawler – Wexford and AB – Jim Walsh – (known as Wise) Passage East. Numerous others served this ship down the years. I know that Tom Butler Sullivan and Michael Heffernan were aboard at times too.

Sea Cadet

Having been accepted into the training college Jim Murphy moved to Liverpool in September 1964 joining the Elder Dempster Line. Elder Dempster lines can be traced to 1868 when John Dempster was approached to form a Liverpool agency for the British and African Steam Navigation Company. Dempster chose his friend Alexander Elder as his partner and Elder Dempster and Co. was formed.

He attended Riversdale Technical College as a Sea Cadet in Liverpool where he completed his EDH (Efficient Deck Hand). As part of his training, he sailed on the Fourah Bay which was the Elder Dempster cadet training ship.  During this time he docked in the then run down and neglected Royal Albert Docks which was in the process of being sold.  It is now a thriving tourist attraction with museums, shops, galleries, restaurants and bars.

Fourah Bay at anchor in West Africa from a painting by Robert Lloyd

His first trip abroad was on the Donga to West Africa, Freetown, Nigeria and back to East America, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New Orleans. His Aunt Judy Duffin from Cheekpoint, her husband Jimmy and his uncle Ned and Aunt Mary came to visit him in New York. A common enough occurrence of the era. Being away from home for 6 months he was delighted to see the familiar faces of his much-loved aunts and uncles.

Crossing the Line

It was while on this trip that he participated in the Crossing of the line ceremony – a sailor’s tradition. This marked his first crossing of the equator, which involved a baptism of sorts with seawater (and sometimes much worse), and he received a certificate. It would be his first of many such crossings.

In 1968 he sailed to Australia on Blue Funnel’s Helenus as a cadet officer and later that year in December he got 2nd Mates Certificate.  In 1970 he was back aboard the Fourah Bay as second mate.

Married Life

Jim Murphy and Thelma at Sea

In 1971 Jim got married to his Liverpool sweetheart Thelma Pielow. Thelma was from Liverpool but with strong Irish connections. In fact they met in the Irish Centre in Liverpool in 1968.  They danced to the music of Dermot Hegharty, Brendan Shine, Big Tom and the Mainliners. These and other Irish bands played in Liverpool and Manchester to large crowds of Irish emigrants.

Married life got off to a good start with a 4-month honeymoon to South East Asia. Jim was serving aboard the Prometheus (Ocean Fleets – a merger of the Blue Funnel and ED Lines ) with calls to Hong Kong, Japan etc. His next vessels were the Sherbro and Shonga (Ocean Fleets) and in December 1974 Jim received his Masters Ticket. 1974 also saw the retirement of his uncle Captain Michael Murphy, whose last trip was taking the Aureol to Greece where it was sold.

Previously Jim told me by email that in the 1970s he also sailed as Chief Officer on the Isle of Ely which was an early type of container ship.  A regular to us here, she sailed from Waterford to Fishguard. He also sailed on the Preselly a RORO between Rosslare and Fishguard.

Jim Murphy and his later ships

Jim joined Irish Shipping in 1980 and sailed as Master of Tuskar Rock, Daunt Rock and Skellig Rock (the Rock Boats) up to 1983 when the company closed. That year he joined the Johanna V as master (Vanol Shipping London), until the ship sold. From 1985 to 1987 he served as master with Arklow Shipping with time aboard Arklow River and Arklow Valley.

Jim at sea – keeping his eye in!

He served as Chief Officer on gas tankers with Bibby Line from 1987 to 1995. Sailing worldwide on ships such as El-Rakwa, El-Gurdabia, Moraybank, Lincolnshire, Harold La Borde, World Rainbow & Mondo Orinoco.

In 1996 Jim joined Emerald Isle Shipping of Cork, serving as captain on Kilemore between Europe to North Africa. In October 1999 he was Master of British Shield, (Aberdeen Briggs Marine Tankers).

From 2004 – 2010 Jim worked closer to home for the Mersey Docks Harbour Company. He served on vessels such as the Mersey Mammoth (floating crane) and Mersey Mariner (dredger). The Mersey Mammoth lifted the final span of the Thomas Francis Meagher Bridge into position in 2009.  She was also off Duncannon in 2021 as the Lara 1 – lifting a sunken trawler – the Aztec. I also have a video of her as the Lara 1 in 2023. Employed lifting equipment onto the Great Island Power Station site.

Retirement

During his time at sea, Jim earned a reputation as a fearless sailor, ready to set sail in any conditions.  (He also earned the nickname of Mad Murphy!) He has many tales of his adventure and travels all over the world and many souvenirs grace his family home in Crooke and in Liverpool including tables from Tackaradi, kimonos from Japan, and jewellery boxes from West Africa.

Jim is the grandson of Passage Cockle women Ellie Murphy nephew of Cockle woman Molly Murphy.  He inherited the resilience and strength of these women who supported him and his uncle Michael to become sea captains.  It is also a testament to Jim’s mother Annie who recognised the importance of education even though it was an economic strain to keep him in school at that time.

He has called Liverpool his home since he met and married Thelma in 1971.   Their house in Liverpool however is called ‘Crooke’ so he’s never very far from his roots. They have four wonderful children that Jim is very proud of. Fiona, Ciaron, Colette and Brendan. They are the proud grandparents to six boys and two girls that he never tires talking about.

Waterford draws him back

Jim and Thelma return annually for meet-ups with both his Passage and Mount Sion classmates.  He has attended a number of Mount Sion class of 64 reunions over the years organised by classmate and friend Tim Galvin.  Jim and his mother corresponded weekly by letter from the day he left home up to her death in 1996. He has never lost interest in the goings on in Passage and Cheekpoint and keeps weekly contact with his sisters and brother.

Although Liverpool may be his home since the 1960s, he has a soft spot for Waterford.  And I look forward to seeing him again this year when summer comes around.  For now, Happy Birthday Jim, enjoy the day, and many more of them.

Ann, Jim, Pat, Breda and Aileen at a recent gathering at the home place in Crooke.

I’d like to thank Ann and Breda Murphy for helping me with the substance of this piece and Jim’s sons Ciaron and Brendan for the details of Jim’s sailing career.