{"id":252147,"date":"2026-01-19T05:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T05:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/252147\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T05:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T05:34:11","slug":"key-engineer-behind-development-of-irelands-national-heritage-park-remembered-at-moving-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/252147\/","title":{"rendered":"Key engineer behind development of Ireland\u2019s National Heritage Park remembered at moving ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Murphy family pictured at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5a7abdbd-dda0-41a7-9099-b91e2db414e9.jpg\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">The Murphy family pictured at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Adrian Doyle speaking at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/f0b4bbe5-53fb-4818-b07d-85a16c4647c2.jpg\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">Adrian Doyle speaking at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Eoin Murphy speaking at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/80b6e28d-6a07-4f3a-8081-78a8c5d74484.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">Eoin Murphy speaking at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Eoin Murphy speaking at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/208f2922-f266-4441-b407-aaa477b64389.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">Eoin Murphy speaking at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The group pictured at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6dadf525-a87a-425e-afd8-249b0e505569.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">The group pictured at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mairead Murphy planting the tree at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/44252a01-6f20-4986-b61d-01345b721c90.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">Mairead Murphy planting the tree at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mairead Murphy planting the tree at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/7c84ffd9-8131-4f34-b16c-30df7acfc7a1.jpg\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">Mairead Murphy planting the tree at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur J. Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">A memorial tree, to remember one of the key engineers behind the early development of Ireland\u2019s National Heritage Park, Arthur J. Murphy, was planted at a recent ceremony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">&#8220;The Irish National Heritage Park lost one of its key creators and a valued board member with the sad and sudden passing of Arthur in August 2024,\u201d said park chairperson Adrian Doyle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Arthur, an engineer was remembered by his family, fellow board members, park management and staff with the planting of the Irish Oak tree at the entrance to the Ringfort in the park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Arthur&#8217;s vision and enthusiasm contributed greatly to the creation of the park. His engineering work spanned research, layout, design and construction from 1984 to its official opening in 1987.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">In August 2024, Arthur, a beloved husband to Mairead and father to Eoin, Laura and Jane, passed away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">Since its opening, the park has developed into a 35-acre outdoor museum, showcasing 16 reconstructed sites, each built using the materials and skills of the period.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The group pictured at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768800851_179_6dadf525-a87a-425e-afd8-249b0e505569.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" data-testid=\"article-image\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_caption1 indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_secondary indo-66f0fec7_regular indo-1d70522a_marginbottom0 indo-1d70522a_marginleft0 indo-1d70522a_marginright0 indo-1d70522a_margintop3 indo-b48c4984_left\" style=\"color:var(--color-grey-60)\">The group pictured at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort entrance in the Irish National Heritage Park on Friday. Pic: Jim Campbell<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">The main theme of the park is archaeological heritage and the promotion of tourism in the region, while supporting local employment and trades people. The name Ferrycarrig originates from the fact that there was a ferry crossing where the bridge now stands for over a thousand years and the town of Carrig which stood above it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">The site at Ferrycarrig, just outside Wexford Town, proved an ideal location for an outdoor museum. To begin with, it includes the remains of the very first fortification built by the Anglo-Normans in Ireland. It also comprises a variety of landscapes, from hillside, to estuary, to woodland, to riverbank.<\/p>\n<p class=\"indo-ebe0ecc6_root indo-ebe0ecc6_paragraph indo-300db776_none indo-91174671_primary indo-1d70522a_marginbottom5 indo-1d70522a_margintop0 indo-b48c4984_inherit\" style=\"color:var(--color-primary-80)\">It was one of the first experiential museums of its kind when it opened in the 1980s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Murphy family pictured at the tree planting memorial for the late Arthur Murphy ceremony at the Ringfort&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":252148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3502,61,60,43],"class_list":["post-252147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-cillian-boggan","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}