A Celebration of Volunteering –
Marking the retirement of John Murphy
John and Maura Murphy with volunteers of Roscommon Citizens Information Service
On Tuesday 16th September, Roscommon Citizens Information Service celebrated the retirement of John Murphy. At the celebration where past and present volunteers, staff and Board members of Roscommon CIS who came together to acknowledge and thank John for his fantastic contribution of 35 years as a volunteer with the information service.
Back in 1979, John Murphy along with other forward thinking, community spirited individuals from Boyle, founded the then Boyle Community Information Centre. This was one of the first such centres in the Country and now, over 35 years later there are 42 Citizens Information Services countrywide, operating out of 268 locations, staffed by over 1,200 volunteers, 271 paid staff and 204 scheme staff.
John Murphy a native of Dublin and has lived in Boyle for 50 years and considers himself a Boyle man through and through. Over the 50 years he has lived in, what he describes as his lovely Boyle, he never lost his yearn for his beloved Shamrock Rovers; he considers them the best football team, not alone in Ireland, but the whole of Europe!
John’s greatest love is his family, he has been married to Maura for 47 years and they have 2 children and are the proud grandparents to six grand and two great grandchildren. John is adamant that “the support of his family has helped him fulfil his career and allowed him to devote time and energy to the many voluntary roles he has undertaken over the years”.
John spent 22 years as a member of the Irish Defence Force and he cherishes the memory of those years and the fantastic people he met. John and his army comrades served in the Congo in 1960 and of that time he said “what we saw then was man’s inhumanity to man, man at his worst and still even in those dark days there were shining examples of man at his best, when people made the ultimate sacrifice to help their fellow man”.
The comradeship John experienced in his army days are carried forward to this day in his voluntary work. For over 35 years he volunteered in the Connaught Branch of the Ex-service Men. He has been Area Council President of that Branch for over thirty years and he believes that “being part of something is an integral part of why he volunteers in his community. He does not see volunteering as a chore or a tax on his time. He sees at as part of what we owe each other in our society, as a means to support and learn from each other”.
Since John was a young man he has undertaken many voluntary roles. In the late 50’s and 60’s, after a hard day’s work, he volunteered with the Morning Star Hostel in Dublin, helping the homeless and those who had met hard times.
After retiring from the army in 1975, John worked as a chef for many years in the Royal Hotel in Boyle. But he still found time to volunteer on the Termon Road association and as a Boyle town’s Commissioner for fourteen years.
But it was in his role as one of the founding members of the Boyle Citizens Information service, back in 1979 that John looks back fondly and notes “It has been a pleasure to volunteer and work with each and every one of the people who have worked in the centre over the years. The people of Boyle have come to rely on the information service as a stalwart of the community, it is there for when people need that little extra help, when they need someone to talk to, when they need some advice on what to do. This assistance is given without judgement and in total confidence”
John further adds “to many the Citizen’s Information Service is a friendly listening ear willing to give time and advice, to others it has advocated for, it is a lifeline and has helped lift the heavy burden from many a person’s shoulders”.
When asked why he has volunteered in so many roles over the years John is very clear in his response “There were hard times in the 50’s and 60’s, the recession in the 80’s and now we are in the longest recession on record since the founding of the State. The last few years have been particularly hard on the local people, a kind word, a helping hand and getting involved costs nothing but your time, but that time could change someone’s life for the better”.
He further added “volunteering is a great social outlet, when you volunteer you feel part of something bigger than just yourself. You feel great pride and achievement in the organisation you volunteer in when they achieve the goals they aim for. I feel I have learnt so much from working and volunteering with people in my community. I hope I and my fellow volunteers have contributed in supporting and developing our community”.
On a final note, of the future John says “I will miss my volunteer colleagues and those who work in the Citizens Information Service but in the main I would like to direct my comments to the young people of Boyle, I say to them - get involved, volunteer, join a club, participate, contribute, make a difference, put simply be part of something that makes you happy”
