Irish Family History Centre researcher, Carmel Gilbride recently worked on the family history of one of Ireland’s best loved radio and TV presenters, Mike Murphy. Mike wanted to explore his family history, and approached us, via the Irish Family History Centre, to research both lines of his family. Mike arrived into our research office with cousins from both his maternal Kelly line and his Murphy line. Always willing to step up to a challenge, we set to.
It was known to the family that Mike’s grandmother, a formidable woman, by all accounts, came from Cork. It was assumed that Mike ‘s grandfather was also from Cork. But this did not turn out to be the case. In fact, Mike’s grandmother had left Cork as a young girl, and settled, with her parents and brother, in the foothills of the Dublin mountains.
Carmel discovered that Mike’s grandfather was in fact, born in Waterford, and ultimately, his family had their origins in a seafaring family, based in the beautiful Hook peninsula in Wexford.
Pictured here we have Mike and his siblings, from left to right with youngest first, John, Catherine,Patricia, Declan and Mike at his sister Patricia’s 70th birthday.
At all times, the challenge was to sift out the correct Murphys and Kellys in the records. We were very much assisted in this by Mike’s cousin on his maternal side who knew that the family were from Carlow. We were very happy to supply documentation for the Kelly family in Carlow and Carmel is delighted to have worked with Mike on exploring his family history.
Mike Murphy and researcher Carmel Gilbride with his Family History Report
