Martin Murnaghan, class '59

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The Union was saddened to hear of the passing of Martin Murnaghan, class '59

The death has occurred of Fr. Martin MURNAGHAN
Sandymount, Dublin / Dalkey, Dublin

Date of Death: Sunday 13th November 2016

Martin was the third of four brothers at Knock alongside George, class '55; Denis, class '57 and Eoin, class '64. Dublin was home but the family's roots were in Omagh, County Tyrone, from where two uncles also attended: Gerard Murnaghan, class '29 and Hugh Murnaghan, CM, class '36 and late Superior of Sunday's Well church in Cork. Four Murnaghan brothers from Omagh who were with us in the 80's would also be first cousins.

The 1998 Chronicle reported:

After leaving SVC Martin entered Clonliffe College, for the Diocese of Dublin, continuing a very ancient link between the Diocese of Dublin and Castleknock College - which at one time, long ago, served as a sort of seminary- for the Dublin Diocese. He was ordained in 1966, having obtained a BA from UCD along the way. He was subsequently appointed to a bewildering number of 'positions' over the years - starting as chaplain to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, then to Clonskeagh Parish as a Reader (now an extinct form of clerical life), then to High Street (which his old mentor at Castleknock, Fr. Tom O'Flynn, CM, often described as his favourite Church in Dublin), from there to Harold's Cross for a short time, then to UCD as chaplain, from there he was in turn curate in Aughrim Street and Dundrum.

It was at this stage that he thought it opportune to strike out for other fields, so in 1989 he went to Kenya as an associate with the Kiltegan Missionaries. While there, he was in charge of the parish of Molo, in the Rift Valley for nearly six years, an unforgettable experience in spite of the fact that Molo was a centre tor the political violence which has beset Kenya since 1992. Before returning to base in Dublin he spent a year in a parish in southern Rwanda. Darragh Brennan was the only pastman that he encountered on his travels in Africa. Since returning to Dublin in June 1997, he has been serving as assistant in the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dalkey.

After ordination, he joined Palmerston RFC, where "I figured for a number of years without distinction, but it was great fun". He keeps up his interest in the Club which is now known as DLSP, and dabbles in a little golf. "I have been known to go round a golf course from time to time, but again without distinction". He regrets that he has not bumped into too many pastmen in his life journey. He misses his classmate, the late Denis O'Donovan CM. greatly, as they used to meet from time to time, and Denis would bring him up to date on all the Castleknock news.

5 August 2000 Martin was then appointed Parish Priest at St. Mochta’s Parish in Porterstown, a parish just next door to us here at his alma mater, so thankfully we got to see some more of him. Kenya then called again and so August 2006 he crossed continents once more to take up a position in Tenges, and on his return in 2013, his final position was with St. Mary's Star of the Sea, Sandymount.

Kenya played a large part in his life and so it was his wish to retire there. It was in Kenya then just a few short weeks after returning that he said morning mass on Sunday 13th November, He then retired for a nap but never surfaced for lunch. He was found unconscious and unfortunately passed away that evening, aged 75.

Martin said his first mass in St Mary's, Haddington Road and he returned there on the 24th May just past to celebrate his Jubilee Mass. It is fitting then that after dying in his beloved Kenya, he was returned to St Mary's, Haddington Road for his funeral mass.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his brothers, the wider Murnaghan family, and his many friends and colleagues.

Requiescat in Pace