Fr Michael Canice Murphy OP (1942 - 2021) - an obituary

Fr Michael Canice Murphy, OP

Michael Canice Murphy, who died suddenly and unexpectedly
on Wednesday evening in the Dominican Priory in Bridge Street, Waterford, spent his early years in Ballinglough in Cork City. He was born on May 4, 1942.

Canice died on the day that his sister, Sister M de Chantal (Anne) Murphy was buried in Cork. He died some short few hours on his return to Waterford from his sister’s funeral service. And like Canice, Sister M de Chantal was a brilliant teacher, who was loved by her pupils. She taught in primary school. 

Canice attended secondary school at Christian Brothers College, colloquially known as Christians in the city. He joined the Dominican Order in September 1959 in St Mary’s Pope’s Quay, Cork and was ordained a priest in July 1966. He was given the name Canice on joining the Dominicans.

After priestly ordination he did postgraduate studies at the University of St Thomas, the Angelicum, in Rome, while living at the Irish Dominican Priory at San Clemente on the Via Labicana.

On returning from Rome he studied science at Maynooth College, where he also obtained his Higher Diploma in Education. During his years of study in Maynooth he took some time out and lived at St Mary’s Priory, Pope’s Quay, Cork and Ennismore in Montenotte.

On obtaining his teaching qualification he moved to the Dominican school in Newbridge, where he became a legend, not just as a teacher but as a colleague, friend and a talented man of many parts. There is a scholarship in honour of Canice presented annually to a gifted student in the school.

Canice spent most of his life teaching in Newbridge College, Co Kildare, where his subjects were mathematics, physics, applied mathematics, chemistry and religious education.

In 1984 the community elected him headmaster but with the permission of the provincial he declined the post.

Students, girls and boys, respected and loved Canice. He had an extraordinary gift of bringing people on side. He was a kind and inclusive person.

The last thing he was, was a disciplinarian and yet there would not be as much as a whisper ever from anyone in his class.

I had the good fortune of being a teaching colleague of his from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s and I experienced at first hand his gifts, talents and the genuine respect he had for people, his kindness too.

Four days a week after school, hail, rain or snow, he trained his Ellers, under-14 rugby players. Most Saturdays and Wednesday afternoons, during the rugby season saw Canice hosting visiting school teams at the college or else heading off with a number of teams to play against other schools. I can still see the waiting bus with Canice’s eagle eye making sure all the boys were safe and sound, ready to travel.

In was probably in the spring of 1983 Canice and I took a group of approximately 15 students on a cycling trip along the River Main from Aschaffenburg to Lohr-am-Main in the southern German state of Bavaria. We took all our bicycles on the aircraft. Back in the day a bicycle was no extra charge. Michael O’Leary had not been invented.

Canice was hesitant about coming on the trip but once we landed at Frankfurt-am-Main Airport his wisdom, skill, patience and quiet enthusiasm made the adventure the success that it turned out to be.

Canice was the sort of person who could turn his hand to anything. For a number of years he designed the crossword for the Irish Dominican monthly news sheet, Far&Near. Indeed, every day after lunch a few of us would watch the lunchtime ITN news before returning to class. It was the era of Arthur Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers and the miners' strikes. 

In some short few minutes Canice would complete the cryptic crossword in The Irish Times. While Canice was doing the crossword, he, the late John O’Gorman and I followed the Stockmarket, observing how it fluctuated. Both Canice and John, as mathematicians, were interested in everything to do with figures. The day the Dow Jones hit 800 all three of us were surprised. The Dow Jones index stands at 36,034.44 today.

Canice greatly enjoyed painting and gave gifts of his water colours to colleagues and friends, with many tucked well under his bed. His easel was a feature of his most untidy room.

He had a wide interest in music, played the guitar. Bruce Springsteen was one of his great favourites. His nickname was naturally Spud Murphy and early in his teaching career, the story went about that before joining the Dominicans Spud Murphy played with some famous group. He never said whether he did or not, at least to the students.

Clubs were very much part of the scene, as was expected in a boarding school. He started a model aircraft club in the school. And then with the advent of the computer he organised a computer club.

Especially in the summer months, during the flat racing season, Canice could be seen on the Curragh at meetings. It was something he enjoyed and was interested in all the permutations and calculations surrounding the world of betting. 

Come the autumn, Canice would be walking along the side of the railway track collecting elderberries and then some time later he'd produced his elderberry wine. There was the hilarious occasion when a large quantity of fermenting alcohol exploded in the boot of a car while four of us were en route to West Kerry. The smell never left that vehicle.

Both he and the late John O’Gorman brought the teaching of mathematics, physics and applied mathematics to a whole new standard at Newbridge College. During their time together in the school there were two honours maths Leaving Certificate Classes. It is somewhat ironic that both men died suddenly and unexpectedly in their priories and were both found dead by fellow Dominicans.

On retiring from teaching Canice moved to the Dominican Priory in Waterford, where he worked in the church and developed a devotion to St Padre Pio. During the extensive works that were carried out on the church Canice took great pride in showing people around the church and explaining all the work that was taking place. He was a man for great detail and could explain the history and meaning of every painting and fresco in the church.

When his sister joined the Mercy convent and was given the name Sister de Chantal their father made a  clever joke about the name. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the story but I remember it being funny and how Canice so enjoyed recalling his father’s remarks.

Canice often spoke to me about his father’s funeral  His father, Colonel Bertie Murphy, was Officer Commanding the Southern Command of Óglaigh na hÉireann and died in office a relatively young man. He received a military funeral and Canice remembered how as a young boy, still in primary school, he stood to attention beside his grieving mother in McCurtain Street as his father’s cortege passed.

On Monday I spoke with Canice on the phone to sympathise with him on the death of his sister. During our conversation I told him that the partner of Mary Doogan, a former teacher in the school, had recently died. Mary contacted me today to tell me that Canice had phoned to sympathise with her. That’s the sort of person he was. The kindest of men.

Last month in St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin there was a golf putting competition. There were 20 teams of two per team. I was on the winning team. Why? I never play golf. It was a regular feature for Canice, John O’Gorman and I, on the days there was no sporting activity after school, to head out to the nearby railway bridge. We competed in throwing pebbles/stones down on the track to see how often we could hit the rail. Canice by nature had an excellent aim. I learned from him and practice.

Canice had a great sense of humour. One of the questions that appeared on a first year Christmas religious knowledge test he set, asked why did God become man. One boy wrote:  ‘God became man to save the world and he nearly did it’. Canice so enjoyed telling that story.

In one week two outstanding Dominicans have died, no ordinary men.

Canice is survived by his sister Marie, brother Padraig, and predeceased by his brother John.

May Michael Canice Murphy rest in peace.

Canice’s Requiem Mass is on Tuesday, December 28 at 11.30am in St Saviour’s Church, Bridge Street, Waterford. Burial in St Otterans Cemetery.