Delia Murphy

Delia Murphy (16 February 1902 – 11 February 1971) was a singer and collector of Irish ballads. Her notable voice gave her the nickname the "Queen of Connemara".

Early life

She was born in Ardroe, Claremorris, County Mayo, Ireland. Her father purchased the large, Mount Jennings Estate in Hollymount, County Mayo. Her family was regarded as being wealthy. Her father, Jack Murphy, from Hollymount, made his fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush. While in America, he married Anna Fanning from Roscrea, County Tipperary. They returned to Ireland in 1901. Her father encouraged Delia's interest in singing ballads from a young age. He also allowed Irish travellers to camp on the estate. According to her own account, the young Delia learnt her first ballads at their campfires.^[1]

Delia was educated at Presentation Convent, Tuam; Dominican College, Dublin; and University College Galway, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. In UCG she met Dr. Thomas J. Kiernan. They married in 1924, on her 22nd birthday. Kiernan then joined the Irish diplomatic service. His first posting was to London. While there Murphy sang at many venues including gatherings of Irish exiles and became quite well known.^[2] In 1939 she recorded The Blackbird, The Spinning Wheel and Three Lovely Lassies for HMV.

World War II

In 1941 Kiernan was appointed Irish Minister Plenipotentiary to the Holy See in Rome. The Irish legation was the only English-speaking legation to remain open after the United States entered the war. Murphy became one of those who assisted Hugh O'Flaherty (the "Vatican pimpernel") in hiding Jews and escaped allied soldiers from the Nazis. In 1943, when Italy changed sides, many escaped POWs were helped by the legation to leave Italy.^[3]

Later life

Kiernan later served as Irish High Commissioner and later first Ambassador in Australia, and later in Bonn, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C.. In 1961, while she was living in Ottawa, Murphy made the recording of “The Queen of Connemara” for the Kenny Goldstein label. Murphy tired of the diplomatic life and bought a farmhouse in Jasper, Ontario, near the Rideau Canal where she spent most of her time, even after Kiernan was posted to Washington.^[4] Tom died in 1967.

Death

By 1969 Murphy's health was in decline. In November of that year she sold her farmhouse in Canada and returned to Ireland. She bought a cottage in the Strawberry Beds, part of the suburbs of Chapelizod, in Dublin. Murphy, the "Queen of Connemara" died of a massive heart attack on 11 February 1971.^[5] She had recorded more than 400 ballads.

References

Notes

1. ^ O'Hara, p. 25,26
2. ^ O'Hara, p. 43
3. ^ O'Hara, p. 113-132
4. ^ O'Hara, p. 179
5. ^ O'Hara, p. 189

• O'Hara, Aidan (1997). I'll live till I die: Drumlin Publications. Leitrim: [1]. ISBN 1 873 43717 X. 

External links

• http://www.iol.ie/~ronolan/delia.html

Persondata
Name	Murphy, Delia
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	16 February 1902
Place of birth
Date of death	11 February 1971
Place of death