The Cuimhneamh archive holds digitised manuscripts from the collection of Michael J. Murphy, held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) under reference D4642.
Michael J Murphy’s archive as part of his 34-year career with the Irish Folklore Commission is preserved within its successor body, The National Folklore Collection in University College Dublin. Access to the archive can be arranged through www.ucd.ie/irishfolklore
Murphy donated his folklore manuscripts to the Irish Folklore Commission over a period of decades. The collection — over 60 boxes of field notebooks, research files, correspondence and manuscripts — was transferred to PRONI by Cuimhneamh in 2025. The digitised pages presented here are high-resolution scans of the original handwritten and typed material.
Where available, each volume can be downloaded as a complete PDF. The archive continues to grow as more material is digitised.
D4642/2 — Field Notebooks
Murphy’s working notebooks, recording folklore collected for the Irish Folklore Commission alongside notes for his own writing.
| Volume | Date | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | c.1942 | Folklore and culture of the Slieve Gullion area — quaint sayings, festival traditions, fairy lore, ghost stories and early creative writing notes from the year Murphy began collecting for the IFC. | Scans available |
| Vol. 2 | 1942–1943 | Folk stories from local storytellers, with detailed notes on St. Brigid’s Day traditions, local idioms, Great Famine accounts, and an illustration of a St. Brigid’s cross. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 4 | 1947–1951 | A meticulous submission log of Murphy’s articles, radio scripts (sent to Radio Éireann and the BBC), poetry and short stories — including work published under his pen name ‘Eamonn Kerr’. | Scans available |
| Vol. 11 | 1964–1965 | Notes on folk traditions surrounding annual festivals and holy days — Chalk Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Shrove Tuesday and Palm Sunday — collected from local storytellers. | Download PDF |
D4642/11/1 — Manuscripts, Series 11, Sub-series 1
| Volume | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | Digitised manuscript material from Murphy’s collection. | Download PDF |
D4642/11/2 — Research Files: Places and Communities
Typed notes, newspaper cuttings, articles and correspondence on the history and folklore of specific places across Ulster and beyond.
| Volume | Subject | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | Dromantee: Murder of Christy Jordan | Notes and newspaper transcriptions on the 1845 murder of Christy Jordan of Tiffcrum, and the trial of Peter Magill who was sentenced to transportation for life. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 8 | South Armagh: General Data | Newspaper cuttings and notes on South Armagh, its history and landscape. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 9 | South Armagh: Place-names | Newspaper cuttings on South Armagh place-names and their origins. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 10 | Slieve Gullion | Typed articles and newspaper cuttings on the history of Slieve Gullion mountain, changes in the area over the years, and the Slieve Gullion Cairn. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 11 | Slieve Gullion: Own Observations | Murphy’s own typed stories, articles and notes on people and topics in the Slieve Gullion area. | Scans available |
| Vol. 20 | County Down: The Brontës and the Mournes | Newspaper cuttings on County Down, including the Mourne area and the Brontë family connection. | Scans available |
| Vol. 21 | County Down: General | Newspaper cuttings on County Down, including Clontifleece and Clonallon. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 22 | County Down | Typed information and cuttings on County Down topics — Maggies Leap, ‘The Giant’ Patrick Murphy, the United Irishmen, and Rostrevor. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 23 | County Louth | Newspaper cuttings and booklet on County Louth, including the founding of the Irish College in Omeath and Castle Roche. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 24 | County Louth: Ladywell | Newspaper cuttings on the Ladywell shrine near Dundalk. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 25 | Carlingford Lough | Typed information including the story of The Long Woman’s Grave near Cooley, and newspaper cuttings on the Carlingford Lough area. | Scans available |
D4642/11/3 — Research Files: Themes and Topics
Murphy’s thematic research files — articles, newspaper cuttings, correspondence and original writing organised by subject.
| Volume | Subject | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 62 | Churning and Buttermilk | Typed articles by Murphy and newspaper clippings on the traditions of churning butter and buttermilk in rural Ireland. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 69 | Convoys (‘American Wake’) | Two newspaper articles by Murphy on the emotional convoy traditions for emigrants leaving for America — occasions known locally as the ‘American Wake’. | Scans available |
| Vol. 82 | Séamus Delargy | Newspaper clippings, correspondence and articles by and about Professor Séamus Delargy, Director of the Irish Folklore Commission and Murphy’s professional superior. | Scans available |
| Vol. 92 | Drama in Ulster | Newspaper clippings on Ulster theatre and drama, arranged by playwright — including Thomas Carnduff, Joseph Tomelty, and others. | Scans available |
| Vol. 95 | The Eating House | Typescript articles, notes and a newspaper clipping on the rural ‘Eating House’ — a now-lost institution of Irish country life. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 98 | Emigration and Migration | Newspaper clippings and correspondence documenting the human stories behind emigration from Ireland. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 102 | The Hiring Fair | Typed notes, articles and newspaper clippings on the Ulster hiring fairs, where farm labourers sold their labour to farm owners — a defining social institution of rural Ulster. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 105 | Fairies (1) | Newspaper clippings with articles relating to fairy lore in Ireland. | Scans available |
| Vol. 125 | Folk Cures and Charms | Newspaper cuttings, handwritten notes, correspondence with the IFC and three original articles by Murphy on traditional cures and charms. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 133 | Folklore on the Farm | Two original articles by Murphy — ‘Folklore on the Farm’ and ‘Foul Pest Remedies in Folklore’ — alongside newspaper cuttings on traditional agricultural folk knowledge. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 142 | Brian Friel | Newspaper cuttings on Brian Friel’s plays, including personal correspondence from Friel to Murphy. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 149 | Ghost Stories and Exorcism | Newspaper cuttings, correspondence with Sam Hanna Bell, original typed short stories by Murphy, and handwritten notes on ghost lore. | Scans available |
| Vol. 262 | Potatoes | Articles, stories and newspaper cuttings on the potato in Irish rural life — including Murphy’s own pieces ‘Hardship and Happiness Digging the Spuds’ and ‘Taking out the Priddy’. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 268 | Pub in Warrenpoint | Notes on pub talk and social life in Warrenpoint, County Down. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 274 | Rats and Mice | Newspaper cuttings and articles on rats and mice in rural Ireland, including Murphy’s piece ‘Billeting Rats With a Rhyme’ on the old custom of rhyming rats out of a house. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 290 | St Brigid | Notes, newspaper cuttings and Murphy’s article ‘Some Legends and Traditions About St Brigid’ on the saint’s enduring presence in local folklore. | Download PDF |
| Vol. 326 | Witchcraft and Charms | Newspaper cuttings, notes and Murphy’s article ‘Witches and Witchcraft Still Exist’ on the persistence of witchcraft beliefs in rural Ireland. | Download PDF |
The archive is growing as more material is digitised. If you have questions about the collection or want to access specific items, please get in touch.