Castleknock College Union

Martin Murnaghan, class '59

In Memoriam

Nov 13, 2016
Martin Murnaghan, class '59 - KnockUnion.ie

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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

Murnaghan Fr. Martin (suddenly in Kenya) 13th November 2016 late of Sandymount, Porterstown, Dalkey and Dundrum. Beloved brother of George, Denis, Mary, Eoin and the late Rolive. Deeply regretted by his family, his sisters-in-law Justine and Nuella, brother-in-law Paul, nieces, nephews, relatives, many friends, his grace the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, clergy colleagues of Dublin and Kiltegan.

Reposing at Fanagans Funeral Home , Aungier St with family in attendance on Sunday from 2pm - 5pm. Removal on Monday morning (Nov. 21st) to St. Mary’s Church, Haddington Rd. arriving for 12 noon Funeral Mass followed by burial in Deansgrange Cemetery. No flowers please, donations, if desired, to Kiltegan Fathers (Kenya Mission Fund).

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


The Reverend MARTIN MURNAGHAN
Born:  22 August 1941, Dublin
Ordained:  22 May 1966, Hoiy Cross College, Clonliffe
Appointments:  
16 Jul 66   - 2 Feb 68 01. Our Ladys Hosp. For Sick Children Chaplain
3 Feb 68   - 7 Apr 72 02. Clonskeagh Parish Assistant Priest
8 Apr 72   - 15 Sep 72 03. Harolds Cross Curate
16 Sep 72   - 16 Jul 76 04. University College Dublin Chaplain
16 Sep 72   - 16 Jul 76 05. Nevers Sisters, Mount St. (closed) Chaplain
2 Apr 75   - 1 Sep 80 06. Medical Ethics Committee Member
17 Jul 76   - 15 Jul 83 07. Aughrim Street Parish Curate
16 Jul 83   - 1 Sep 89 08. Dundrum Parish Curate
2 Sep 89   - 29 Feb 96 09. Nakuru Diocese, Kenya Missionary Priest
1 Mar 96   - 4 Jul 97 10. Rwanda Missionary Priest
5 Jul 97   - 4 Aug 00 11. Dalkey Parish Curate
5 Aug 00   - 11 Aug 06 12. Porterstown-Clonsilla Parish Parish Priest
6 Oct 98   - 1 Sep 06 13. Trocaire Diocesan Representative
12 Aug 06   - 1 Mar 13 14. Tenges, Kenya Missionary Priest
2 Mar 13   - 15 Sep 16 15. Sandymount Parish Curate
15 Sep 16   - 13 Nov 16 16. Kenya Retired Priest
Note: Secondary appointments in Italics
Died:  13 November 2016, Kenya
Buried:  21 November 2016, Deansgrange