[Excerpts from "THE HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE, AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST. CANICE, KILKENNY", BY THE REV. JAMES GRAVES, A.B., AND JOHN G. AUGUSTUS PRIM, 1857] [Excerpted 18 Sep 2007, Mark Murphy] pp. 310-312 Inscribed Monuments D. 0. M. PATRICIVS MVRPHIE CIVIS, SENATOR, & QVONDAM PRAETOR KILKENIENSIS, VIR PRVDENS, PROBVS, PIVS, PAVPERVM & PVPILLORVM MERITO PARENS, MORTA- LITATIS DVM VIVERET MEMOR, SIBI, CHARISSIM^ VXORI SVAE, ANASTASLE PHELAN, MATRONS LECTISSIM^E, OPTULE, NVMEROSVE NECNON ERVDITAE PROLIS MATRI, FILIO AC HAEREDI Svo RICHARDO MVRPHIE OMNIBVS MVLTVM CHARO, VICE-COMITIS MVNERE KILKENIE SVMMA COM LAVDE FVNCTO, AETATIS FLORE PRAEREPTO, EIVS VXORI ELISAE ROTHE, LIBERIS, AC POSTERIS MONV- MENTVM HOC POSVIT. OBIJT PATRICIVS 3° DIE MENSIS MARTIJ, 1648. ANAS- TASIA 6mo DIE FEBRVARII 1646. RICHARDVS 8"T° DIE IVNII, 1643. ELISA [ ] DIE MENSIS [ ] Exaltans humiles Deus hie extolle sepultos Qui fuerant humiles semper amore tui Qui Requiem, uitam, solamen, Dona, salutem Pauperibus Dederant his miserere deus. amen. Epitaphium. Junxit amor vivos, vno mors jungit amantes Marmore, non moritur qui bene vixit, amor. Christi verus amor post mortem vivit, et addit AEterna vitce gaudia connubio. John Murphy the Son of the above mentioned Richd died 16 Novr, A. D. 1690. Mary Tobin the Wife of Iohn 17 Ianuary 169?. Barnaby Murphy the son of Iohn 28 January 1741. Mary Shee his wife died 3 November 1737. Thomas the son of Barnaby (who in compliance with his own wishes is interred outside this wall but in the family burial ground) departed this life 18th Sepr 1776 in the 68 Year of his age. Also his wife Mary Meagher who died 30 day of Sepr 1787 in the 58 Year of her age. Barnaby Murphy the eldest son of Tho' & Mary Murphy died in London the 4th of June A. D. 1802 in the 61 Year of his age. His body lies deposited in a Tomb in the Church yard of St Pancras. TRANSLATION:—Master Patrick Murphy, citizen, alderman, and sometime mayor of Kilkenny, a man prudent, honest, and pious, truly the parent of the poor and of the orphan whilst he lived, remembering mortality, erected this monument for himself, for his most dear wife Anastasia Phelan, a most rare and excellent matron, the mother of a numerous and learned issue; for his son and heir Richard Murphy, universally beloved, who most laudably discharged the office of sheriff, but was snatched away in the flower of his age; for his wife Eliza Rothe; [and] for his children and posterity. Patrick died the 3rd day of the month of March, 1648; Anastasia, the 6th day of February, 1648; Richard, the 8th of June, 1643; Eliza, the [ ] day of the month of [ ] An elaborate Renaissance mural monument, occupying its original position against the wall of the north side aisle. It has been repaired, and several portions were supplied anew, when the slab containing the latest inscriptions was inserted, subsequently to the year 1802. The inscriptions are incised, and were recut when the monument was repaired, as appears by the alteration of the year of Richard Murphy's death from 1643 (the true date) to 1640. The pillars which support the frieze rise from an altar-shaped base, the top-stone of which is formed by the monument of Nicholas Motyng, which seems to have been incorporated with the monument when it was first erected. On the upper part of the structure is carved a shield bearing per pale; dexter side, quarterly, 1st and 4th, gules a lion rampant or, 2nd and 3rd argent a lion rampant gules, over all a fess sable charged with three garbes or— for Murphy; sinister side, or a cross engrailed gules between four martlets sable—for Phelan. Crest, a lion rampant, his paw on a garb, all or ; Motto, FORTIS ET HOSPITALIS. The arms are repeated separately below, and all retain indications of colour. On the slab in the floor near the monument are the Words,— OSTIVM • MONVMENTI • PATRITY • MVRPHYE • ET • VXORIS • EIVS • ANASTATLE • PHELAN • ANO • DNI • 1647. The first record which we have of any member of this Leinster Milesian sept, in connexion with the municipality of Kilkenny, is the nomination of John Murphy to the office of coroner by the great Charter of James I. in 1609, followed, four years subsequently, by a royal license to William Murphy and his daughter, Rose, to open a tavern in that city. Patrick Murphy of the inscription was mayor of Kilkenny at the eventful period of 1642-3 ; but although the "Depositions" of that time accuse his son-in-law, Edmond Roe Purcall, of plundering the Protestant inhabitants, and his son, Richard Murphy, who was sheriff in 1641, with complicity in the rebellion, and with having boasted that it was he who opened the town-gates for the admission of the rebels, we are led by their tenor to suppose that he did not put himself forward as a prominent actor in those troubles. He is mentioned amongst a few of the Roman Catholic inhabitants whose goods were plundered by the rebels, but who had restitution made to them by order of Lord Mountgarret, whilst that grace was denied to similar sufferers professing the Reformed faith ; and he would also appear to have at that time received and entertained in his house a Protestant clergyman, John Keavan, one of the prebendaries of the cathedral. Robert and Edmond Murphy were on the list of citizens of Kilkenny attainted for their connexion with the cause of King James II., at the end of the same century.