There was sadness at the end of July in Castletown following the passing of Brother Mike Murphy.
Mike was born Aubrey Murphy in Newmarket, Co Cork on January 31, 1937.
He spent about thirty-five years of his life working in Castletown where he was Director of the Retreat team in the Pastoral Centre for many years.
At his funeral mass, Derek Doherty penned a beautiful tribute to Br Mike which, with permission, we will reproduce below:
If I was to ask you why we are gathered here today, either in person or online, I would guess that one word would be said often – that word is Love.
We’re here because we loved Mike and he touched our hearts. And it was very easy to love Mike.
I got to know him in 2004 when I started to work in the Pastoral Centre and I will speak later about my time with him but before I met Mike, he had a long and fruitful life.
Mike was born Aubrey Murphy in Newmarket, Co Cork on January 31, 1937.
He entered the Junior Novitiate in Mallow on September 7, 1950, moving to Castletown a year later.
It was in Castletown where he made his first vows on September 8, 1954.
The following day he moved to Faithlegg Scholasticate to continue his studies and on September 10, 1956 he began attending Waterford Training College.
He spent time in Kildare and Ballyfermot and on August 6, 1962 in Waterford Mike made his perpetual vows and took the religious name Michael Thomas.
Brother Albert O’Driscoll remembers that time: “I was fortunate to have Mike as a community companion – a Corkonian like myself.
“That September he was following the Higher Diploma in Education at UCD after he had obtained his B.A Degree.
“He was one of the finest Brothers I ever lived with in Community. He was forever doing something useful and often shared his findings.
“Back in the early 60’s some wonderful commentaries on the New Testament appeared which were very refreshing and enlightening.
“He often passed on to me some of these. He was a gentle soul who never craved the limelight.
“He was totally dependable and a wonderful teacher. The positions of Superior or Headmaster did not appeal to him.
“He preferred to work in the trenches and there he won countless friends from near and far.”
Bro. Michael was a student all his life and was forever delving into subjects that would better equip him for the work he was doing.
He had lots of friends but no enemies. We are all aware of Alice Taylor from Newmarket who wrote “To School through the Fields.”
It so happens that she and Brother Michael attended the same National School at the same time. He had many admirers and led where others followed.
From 1963 to 1967 Mike spent time in Rome, Finglas, Mallow, Manhattan (USA) and Macroom and on September 1, 1967 Mike moved to Coláiste Íosagáin, Ballyvourney where he was to spend 7 years.
Kieran Groeger writes: “Br. Michael was my Leaving Certificate teacher in Colaiste Iosagain, Ballyvourney.
“He was a wonderful teacher. I was useless at every kind of sport but he saw in me a reader.
“He asked me to research a topic, type out class notes for a hand out for each boy and copy them on an old spirit duplicator.
“In class we read the Cork Examiner articles ‘It happened this day’ by Pádraig Ó’Maidín, we discussed issues of society – apartheid was the big one then.
“Our history classes were like tutorial sessions which were always enjoyable and fun. He brought history to life.
“I went on to teach history and wrote a lot about history using those research skills honed by Br. Michael.”
Another student from Ballyvourney, Pat Mann, wrote the following: “It is with terrible sadness that I learn of the passing of An Bráthair Micheál.
“He had a profound and lasting influence on me and a whole group of young lads who passed through Coláiste Íosagáin, Baile Mhuirne between 1967 and 1972.
“He was an innovative French teacher by getting us to read French magazines in our first year and he brought history to life in front of us with his enthusiastic and real descriptions.
“He has remained constantly in my thoughts and to him I owe a deep debt of gratitude for inculcating in me a love of the classics.”
Another Student from that time, Peter Harrington, wrote, “He was well liked and respected by all.
“Trained the football team that won the Munster Senior Colleges Title in 1971, being the first coach to train a Colaiste Iosagain team to win it in over 15 years.”
On that team was Mickey Ned who captained the winning Kerry team in 1975.
Mickey Ned describes Mike as “an excellent teacher, good humoured and a great football coach.”
High praise indeed from the Kingdom!
It must be noted that Brother Mike played for several club teams (Ballyvourney, Newmarket, Macroom, Aghabullogue) and was very committed.
A story from his family shows this: “In his early days, while in Dublin, the Brother in charge of the Community allowed Mike to make “compassionate” visits to his sick aunt in Dublin on Sundays.
Little did they know that on more than one occasion, Mike got the first express train out of Dublin to Newmarket, was collected, brought to play for Newmarket by Danjo Cronin (pub owner in the town) and returned just a swiftly once the match was over, all without his community being any the wiser that he had travelled half the length of Ireland and back.”
Br Damien Kellegher writes: “we all have fond memories of Brother Mike.
“I remember some years ago we had a Liturgical Celebration in Baile Mhuirne for Br Tom Sheehy after his death in South Africa.
“A number of Past Pupils of the College attended the funeral Mass.
“I met a number of them after the celebration and apart from Br Tom, all the conversation concerned an Bráthair Micheál.”
All of these past pupils displayed a wonderful regard and respect for Br. Mike.
In particular they spoke of his wonderful teaching skills, his interest in the Irish Language and his personal interest in each of the students and his interest in their careers after they left school.
After Ballyvourney, from 1974 to 1989, Mike spent time in St John’s, Ballyfermot, France, Waterford De la Salle College and Rome.
Mike always took great interest in seeing people succeed in life, making a go of things and not being afraid.
There were no problems, only solutions and he was great at finding them.
A story from Ballyfermot is that Mike bribed the local “clientele” to ‘keep an eye on his car’ so it wouldn’t get broken into, As a result the lads got to like him and once they found out he was a Brother, they wouldn’t take anything off him again… but his car was the safest in Ballyfermot.
“In September 1989, Mike became Director of the Pastoral Centre, here in Castletown.”
Br Kevin McEvoy writes about that time: “During the summer of 1990, Brother Christopher Commins asked me to join the Retreat team in Castletown as Brother Michael was keen to return to teaching having spent just one year as Director of the Pastoral Centre.
“By the following summer of 1991 it was clear to all that Mike had fallen in love with Castletown and he was staying put.
“He was to spend almost a quarter of a century involved in the Pastoral Centre during which time he became very close to the members of the Retreat Team and the Castletown staff.
“Many students who passed through the Centre kept in touch with Mike over the years.”
Mike’s own family also have wonderful memories of him.
His nephew Micheal recalls Mike’s love for nature/woods/flora/fauna and the many fully planned trips to woods and forests with his sister Gobnait & his brother-in-law Ciaran.
Mike loved music and he loved to hear how his family had progressed in their music.
He paid for instruments for them all and always wanted to know if they were playing gigs or doing grade exams.
Micheal recalls Mike’s love of education and his drive to help people pass exams.
Mike voice-recorded notes for Ciarán during exams and he wrote out notes and sent away for all the past Civil Service entrance exams when Gobnait was applying to join the Civil Service.
He also helped family members of the staff of Miguel House during Leaving Cert and Junior Cert examinations.
Places they will remember Mike by include Knock, Ballyheigue, Newmarket, Coláiste Íosagáín, and the most significant of all, Castletown.
He brought everyone to Castletown there at some stage. They all loved it.
Everyone has their own memories of what they enjoyed about it: the weir, the golf course, the orchard, the high field, fishing, the chapel in the Pastoral Centre, the giant cushions, the graveyard, the roses, the chapel in Miguel House, the stained glass windows, the cabinet in the corner with the relics and the monstrances.
Beautiful memories of beautiful times shared by all. And it was here in Castletown that I first met Mike in 2004 and I can still recall that first meeting.
I had been appointed to my role in the Pastoral Centre and Mike welcomed me and told me about the great team that I would be joining.
And it was a great team, in no small part, down to Mike, with his encouragement, support and good guidance.
Mike helped me immensely ever since I joined the Lasallian family and not just me.
Mike was an integral part of the Retreat team and he loved being in the presence of the young people and they loved being in the presence of Mike.
Mike would often be the first team member groups met as he welcomed the bus and led the group to the Pastoral Centre.
He so easily connected with young people – A RARE GIFT – and quickly put them at their ease.
He would ask students their names and then tell them the origin of those names.
He would regale them with anecdotes and singsongs and Mike’s ‘young at heart’ demeanour delighted them.
During the course of a retreat day, Mike could be found behind the Pastoral Centre’s sweet shop counter, singing to the line of expectant customers and generously distributing many free sweets to them.
And it wasn’t just to young people. Mike was always on hand with his own Fox’s glacier mints which he generously shared with the team and any accompanying teacher.
Mike clearly put Willie Wonka in the shade! He was also our resident quizmaster and had an encyclopedic knowledge which he shared with the young people with humility and good humour.
His great knowledge of Irish and French enabled him to self-publish French and Oral Irish notes for Leaving Certificate students and many students throughout the country can thank Mike for getting them through those exams. Mike loved fun and he loved singing.
His rendition of A-Root-Chy-Cha with the young people always had them smiling and laughing and it was not uncommon to have our young people on retreat out in the yard waltzing with each other while Mike sang John Denver’s ‘You fill up my senses.’
I’m not sure anyone else could pull that off! Mike was also a man of deep faith, a faith, lived in his spirituality of compassion and support for others.
He would distribute Rosary beads, prayer cards, medals, and statues.
Mike knew the importance of prayer and remembering Family in prayers.
At the end of day prayer service with the young people he would often tell them that ‘You can tell your family or your granny you prayed for them on retreat today’.
Mike made a lasting impression on all who met him and his influence on the School retreat team continues to this day.
In the redecorating and tidying up of the Centre in 2020, there weren’t many boxes moved or pieces of paper recycled that didn’t have the handprint of Br Mike on them.
Good Retreat handbooks and guidelines are hard to come by, but these boxes contained the unpublished A-Z of Retreats, written in Br Mike’s beautiful handwriting.
There were compilations of Scripture, Poetry, Reflections, Icebreakers, Worksheets and Good Facilitation Guidelines.
Those who had the privilege of working on a team with or led by Br Mike will have seen the A-Z in action.
Mike treated everyone with kindness and generosity, fairness and equality.
He was a good listener and had a unique special gift of being good humoured while having a great intelligence and wisdom.
Mike was a colleague, a confidant, a mediator, an advisor, a friend. Mike was Camaraderie personified.
“A few years ago Mike had to take a step back from full-time retreat work but he would always try to come over to visit and from our perspective, we always thought of Mike as still being part of the team.
“As Mike’s health declined and he moved to Miguel House, we always knew that Mike was supporting us in prayer and we always included Mike in the daily retreat team morning prayer.”
Returning students and teachers would often ask where Mike was and there would be disappointment that they wouldn’t be able to see him.
Surely a testament to the impact that Mike had made on them previously.
Covd-19 limited physical contact with Mike but in the times we did to get to meet, Mike was always asking after the team and interested in the life of the Pastoral Centre.
He was very well looked after by all the staff in Miguel House and I am sure they all have very fond memories of him and will miss him greatly.
Br Martin recalls: “Mike was a gentle person and a very thoughtful person.
“In his younger days he enjoyed life and had a smile and a kind word for anyone he met.
“He enjoyed meeting people and found it very easy to converse with them.
“He had a lovely manner with young people and they responded to this and opened up to him and told him about their families.
“He made a big impression on staff and students in the Pastoral Centre.
“Mike accepted his illness very bravely and I believe this showed us the authenticity of the man.
“He was always helpful and gave good advice until his illness took over.”
Mike always encouraged young people to believe in their potential and their purpose and he would be mindful of those who were struggling.
He would often recite the following poem encouraging us all not to quit by Edgar A. Guest:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit –
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things go wrong that you mustn’t quit.
As we say our earthly goodbyes to Mike we entrust his gentle soul to the love of God and give thanks for his very fruitful life.
All will be well, all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.
We offer sympathy to Mike’s family and friends, to his sister Gobnait, brother Declan, sister-in-law, brothers-in-law and extended family, and to his confreres in religion and the staff of Miguel House.
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