John Murphy (bellfounder)

John Murphy (fl. 1837 – 1879) was an Irish bellfounder. His foundry, which started making bells in 1843, cast bells for many churches in Ireland and elsewhere, including several rings of bells hung for change ringing.

Murphy's foundry, which carried on under his son, John J. Murphy (died 1948), continued to produce bells until 1900.^[1]

List of towers with bells by the Murphy foundry

• Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (1844, 1845, 1877. The old Rudhall ring of eight (1738) was retained, with some bells recast, and the ring was augmented to ten bells in B. The tenor was recast in 1979 by John Taylor & Co and in 1999 the bells were augmented to nineteen, the most change-ringing bells in any tower in the world.)^[2][3][4]
• St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne (1852 – ring of eight bells, refurbished in 1989)^[5]
• St. Patrick's College, Maynooth (1856 – single bell)^[6]
• Church of the Immaculate Conception, Wexford (single bell in 1858,^[1] augmented to nine in 1882,^[7] recast into a ring of ten by Gillett and Johnson in 1931)^[8]
• Basilica of St. John the Baptist, St. John's (1863)^[9]
• St. Audoen's Church, Dublin (1864, 1880, both recast in 1983 by Taylor & Co)^[10]
• Thurles Cathedral (1867 – ring of eight bells, unringable)^[11]
• Cork R.C. Cathedral (1870 – ring of eight bells plus chiming bell, unringable)^[12]
• John's Lane, Dublin (1872 – ring of eight bells, augmented to ten in 1898 by Carrs of Smethwick, refurbished in 1989 by Taylor & Co)^[13]
• Mount St. Alphonsus (Redemptorist Church), Limerick (1878 – ring of eight bells,^[14] recast into a ring of ten by Taylor & Co in 1947)^[15]
• Christ Church, Glandore (1889, restored in 2012^[16] and hung for full-circle ringing)^[17]

References

1. Lewis, Robert, ed. (2002). The Ringing World (PDF).
2. "Dove Details – Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
3. "Christ Church Cathedral Dublin - BellringingIreland.org". www.bellringingireland.org. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
4. "Our Famous Bells". Christ Church Cathedral Dublin. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
5. "Dove Details – RC Cath Ch of S Patrick". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
6. Collections, Special (17 November 2018). "The College Bells". MU Library Treasures. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
7. "Church of the Immaculate Conception Wexford - BellringingIreland.org". www.bellringingireland.org. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
8. "Dove Details – Immaculate Conception". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
9. "Archival Moments". archivalmoments.ca/tag/bells/. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
10. MrHistorianDude (28 October 2018), Details of the bells at St. Audoen's Church, Dublin – from an information leaflet in the church, retrieved 8 February 2019
11. "Dove Details – Thurles Cathedral". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
12. "Dove Details – Cork Cathedral". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
13. "Dove Details – S. Augustine & S. John". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
14. Crowe, Finbar. The Bells of Mount St Alphonsus (PDF).
15. "Dove Details – Mount S Alphonsus". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
16. Martin Hough (21 March 2012), Kilfaughnabeg Church, Glandore, The restored Church Bell, retrieved 23 February 2019
17. The Bells of Bandon & Glandore, West Cork, Ireland, retrieved 30 January 2020