Heartfelt tributes to former Cork County Mayor Patrick Gerard Murphy – ‘he gave so much of himself’

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

At a special meeting of Cork County Council to mark the passing last weekend of Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy, councillors spoke of a dedicated politician who worked hard to deliver for the people of Cork.

At the meeting, held at Eyeries National School in Beara, the deputy Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Ian Doyle, described him as “a man who gave so much of himself with courage, compassion and unswerving commitment to his community. His passing leaves a profound void across West Cork and in this chamber. We remember a public servant in the truest sense of the word.

“Since first being co-opted to Cork County Council in 2008, Patrick Gerard represented Bantry and the wider West Cork area with dignity, determination and heart. He was re-elected at every local election thereafter, evidence of the trust people placed in him.

“Through his work with Employability West Cork, Cork Local Link and West Cork Development Partnership and his role in supporting people with disabilities, he showed us what real service looked like.”

Cllr Murphy of Ahabrock, Eyeries, Beara and Bantry passed away unexpectedly at home on September 12 aged 54. The Fianna Fail councillor was Mayor of the County of Cork from 2018 to 2019 and chaired the West Cork Municipal District and the Western Committee. A wheelchair user since a car accident in 1993, he was also active in the disability sector.

Cllr Deirdre Kelly (Fianna Fail) described him as “my leader, my colleague, but most importantly my friend. I saw a comment on one post dedicated to him during the week that said ‘Only the good die young.’ And if there was ever a more appropriate phrase to help contextualise or make sense of Patrick's passing, it's that phrase.”

“He brought fairness, honesty and dignity and he was a pleasure, from any side of the house, to deal with. And he'll be sadly, sadly missed,” Cllr Michael Hegarty (Fine Gael) said.

Cllr Alan Coleman (Independent) described him as “a great colleague, a great councillor, and a great West Cork man. He had a great ability to understand policy. He had a great grasp of the macro picture but he also had the ability to see how that affected the people that he represented.”

“Patrick was more than a colleague to me, he was a great friend. I never heard anyone in Cork County Hall say a bad word about Patrick Gerard. He was a good delegator. He could work with any of the management, talk it through and get it done. He'll be a sad loss for West Cork, he'll be a sad loss for the Beara Peninsula,” Cllr Danny Collins (Independent Ireland) said.

Cllr Ann Banbury (Social Democrats) said Cllr Murphy was “a gentleman and a great leader for his party in Cork County. A public representative who served his constituents with passion. Always approachable and a really jovial character. His presence will be deeply missed in local government.”

Cllr Cathal Rasmussen (Labour) said that Cllr Murphy “was a great friend to everybody. There's no doubt that he was a very capable councillor and a super mayor. He was the ultimate professional in County Hall. When Patrick Gerard spoke, we all listened.”

Cllr Finbarr Harrington said Cllr Murphy’s greatest asset was “his ability to get on with life and face the challenges every day. The last council meeting was the prime example of that, when he arrived at the County Hall he had a problem with his wheelchair, without even thinking he turned around, went home to Bantry, got his other chair, and he was back to Cork. And that was Pat.”

The councillors and staff of Cork County Council passed on their deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the late councillor and to the people of West Cork.