It is believed Dr Jack Murphy suffered a medical emergency while driving resulting in crash
The Irish Horse Board paid a lengthy tribute to Dr Murphy of Dolmen Sport Horses, Dolmen Lodge, Balllymacar, New Ross, following his death on January 20. He was formerly from Donanore in Enniscorthy.
A distinguished equine business lecturer, Irish Horse Board and Horse Sport Ireland Director, and accomplished sport horse breeder, Jack made collaborative contributions to Irish breeding policy and governance over more than a decade of dedicated service.
Following his appointment by the Minister for Agriculture to the Irish Horse Board in May 2013, Jack progressed from director to chairman from 2017 to 2021, steering the organisation through significant policy reforms and stakeholder engagement initiatives. Since 2021, he continued to serve as an Irish Horse Board Director, maintaining his commitment to Irish sport horse breeding until his passing.
Jack’s influence on Irish equestrian governance was both extensive and impactful according to the Irish Horse Board. He served as a Director of Horse Sport Ireland from October 2014 to November 2016, during a critical period of organisational development and policy formation.
In 2017, he was appointed chairman of the Horse Sport Ireland Breeding Sub-Board, where he played a pivotal role in breeding policy development, including contributions to Breeding policy reviews and studbook protocols.
His term on the HSI Board and breeding sub boards enhanced the strategic direction for Ireland’s equestrian sector, with particular focus on breeding standards and industry sustainability.
Jack combined this industry involvement with a strong academic background. As a lecturer in the School of Business at Maynooth University, he taught on the BBS Equine Business programme, bringing real-world industry knowledge into the lecture theatre.
His students benefited from his ability to link commercial principles with the realities of starting-up and running equine enterprises, and many of them have since progressed into roles across the Irish and international horse industries. His involvement and willingness to advise has helped to professionalise the next generation of equine business graduates.
From his base in New Ross, Co Wexford, Jack and his family built Dolmen Sport Horses into a recognised name in sport horse breeding. Together, with his wife Dr. Karen Hennessy and children Molly and Hannah the Dolmen prefix became associated with athletic, marketable horses produced through careful mare selection, thoughtful stallion choice and patient production.
Horses such as Dolmen DeVito, Dolmen Stellor Design, Dolmen Deja vu, Dolmen Cooley, Dolmen Dun Aenghus and Dolmen Deejay, exemplify the quality of the programme, competing successfully on the international eventing circuit with leading riders.
Their performances underscored his belief in breeding horses for modern sport while retaining the toughness and rideability for which Irish horses are known. Jack enjoyed further success as breeder when Dolmen Decision Time, owned by Donnacha Anhold won the Royal Dublin Society’s Dublin Horse show 3-year-old loose jumping filly Championship last year.
The late Dr Jack Murphy.
What distinguished Jack was the way he integrated all strands of his life.
As a breeder, he understood first-hand the practical and financial realities facing Irish producers. As an academic, he analysed the structural and policy forces shaping the sector. As a Director and Chairman, he brought both perspectives to the Board table, helping to ensure that policy decisions were grounded in experience as well as in principle. As a family man he understood the practicalities and the realistic challenges that family business faced every day. This combination of insight and credibility meant his views carried considerable weight with colleagues, officials, industry stakeholders and friends.
Throughout his time with the Irish Horse Board and Horse Sport Ireland, Jack was a consistent advocate for breeders, for high standards in breeding and inspection, and for safeguarding the reputation of the Irish Sport Horse on the international stage. His contribution spanned governance, education and hands-on production, and leaves a legacy that will endure in the policies he helped shape, the horses he bred and the people he mentored.
The Irish Horse Board extended its sincere condolences to Jack’s family, friends, colleagues and the wider Wexford and Irish equestrian communities saying the sport horse industry has lost a committed director, a thoughtful educator and a dedicated breeder.
There was also a wealth of tributes on RIP.ie. One read: “Shocked and saddened by Jack’s passing. He was a true gentleman and scholar, a wonderful colleague whose warmth and presence will be greatly missed. My heartfelt condolences to Jack’s wife, daughters, and all who loved him.”
A family member wrote: “RIP Uncle Jack. You were a true role model for me – such an inspiration in so many ways. Your charisma was off the charts. So many fond memories of you Jack which I will always cherish. Sleep easy Jack.”
Another tribute referenced his love of rugby. “Many great times and stories from Jack’s time with Enniscorthy rugby, a character on and off the field, may he rest in peace.”
One mourner wrote: “Jack was always a friendly face to meet and chat to at the shows over the years, he loved his horses also. May you have the strength to get through this very difficult time.”
Jack is predeceased by his father Simon and survived by his loving wife Karen (Hennessy), daughters Emma, Lorna, Molly and Hannah, his mother Mary, sisters Mary and Anne, brothers Danny, Jimmy, Simon and Stephen, grandchildren Darragh, Zoe and Ruairí, son-in-law Conor, also Catherine, sisters-in-law, brothers- in-law and mother-in-law Helen, relatives and a large circle of friends.
Funeral arrangements will be announced later.