Paddy Murphy RIP

[RobertRoche]

RIP Paddy and condolences to his family.

[flange lubricator]

Very saddened to learn of Paddy Murphy’s passing my condolences to his family and friends. 
Like so many I was interested in modelling Irish Railways in my formative years but there wasn’t the realistic stock available so I put my interest to one side and then Paddy came along with his collaboration with Bachman to produce firstly the Mk2a coaches and then the 141/181 locomotives and the rest is history.  Modellers of Irish Railways certainly owe a debt of gratitude to Paddy Murphy . 

[DAVID WILSON]

Very sad to hear that Paddy has passed on.  Condolences to his family. It was always good to see whom I presumed were his grandchildren helping at the exhibition stands.

A true gentleman, he always had time to speak with the ordinary modeller.

What a legacy he has left, having raised the standards of model Irish locomotives extremely high.

His drive and determination ensured that the modeller could own and marvel at the end products being largely unaware of the trials and tribulations he had to go through with the other side of the world to bring these beauties to the marketplace.

 

 

 

[Thomas]

RIP Paddy and condolences to his family.

[Der Rechtsanwalt]

RIP Paddy. Your contribution to Irish Railway modelling will be felt for decades. 

[raymurph]

RIP Paddy. Thank you for all the wonderful work you did for all of us.

[Barl]

RIP Paddy.

Your contribution to Irish railway modelling was huge and brought many people, including myself, back into the hobby.

[hurricanemk1c]

RIP Paddy

 

And it should be remembered that the 141/181s weren't the first proper Irish diesel outline locos he developed, the Lima 201s too some 7 years before helping to kick start the market, along with previous commissions

[Tarabuses]

 

37 minutes ago, hurricanemk1c said:

RIP Paddy

 

And it should be remembered that the 141/181s weren't the first proper Irish diesel outline locos he developed, the Lima 201s too some 7 years before helping to kick start the market, along with previous commissions

Very true, we have much to thank him for.  RIP

[EI747-100]

I was very sad to wake up on Saturday to the news of Paddy's passing. I had only spoken with him once at the show in Clontarf in 2024. He was a true gentleman and he told me all about the 121 class as I was picking one up from a stall. As others have said, his contribution to our hobby cannot be understated. I only got into model railways around four years ago, and thanks to his work (and the work of IRM following his lead), I have been able to build a nice collection of Irish rolling stock out of the gate.

RIP Paddy.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

[Blaine]

Funeral details etc have now been released 

https://rip.ie/death-notice/padraig-paddy-murphy-dublin-rathfarnham-623457

[leslie10646]

2 hours ago, Blaine said:

Funeral details etc have now been released 

https://rip.ie/death-notice/padraig-paddy-murphy-dublin-rathfarnham-623457

Well done @Blaine, you've provided a link to which donations in memory of Paddy can be sent.

Guys, show your appreciation of all that Paddy has done for us by using the link above, where you'll find a link to give some Euros to Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, where Paddy was well looked after. If everyone registered to this forum gave just €10, the hospice would be €20,000 better off, to help them to keep up their good work.

I've put my money where my mouth is - very politely may I suggest that you do the same?

Thanks, Paddy, you founded a hobby!

[declan64]

Folks, I intend to create a remembrance video to honour Paddy, the man himself, and his role in progressing Irish railway modelling beyond anything most of us could have dreamed of. I have a lot of MM models and previous videos I've done on them on my channel https://www.youtube.com/@EuviRail but what I don't have is much about the man himself or photos of him from Model Fairs etc. If you have a story, a memory or a photo of Paddy or with Paddy, please DM me what you would be willing to share, with details such the timeframe, the location/event etc. I will acknowledge all contributions that feature unless people wish to contribute privately. I need to dig through my own material from down through the years as well. If you can DM me what you have by this day week, the 16th March and I'll get cracking on it. Thanks, Eugene

[Leyny]

Only getting to post now. Sad news indeed but as everyone above has said, what a legacy Paddy leaves.

As the great majority of us come at railway modelling as a hobby, I think we tend to overlook what a shrewd and innovative mind Paddy had as a Businessman. I think the key to that was knowing his public and being able to 'read the room' as they say these days. When I first heard talk of a Baby GM model that was going to cost 150 quid, I remember, like many of us I suspect, thinking "I'm sure it'll be lovely and all but I couldn't justify spending that on a model locomotive". And that remained my position - until I set eyes on a Black n Tan B141 sitting in the display cabinet in Hawkins Street. At which point I realised the regret of missing out on it if I didn't buy it was going to upset me far more and for far longer than any short term self-reproach at shelling out a three-figure sum on a model train would. From talking to other modellers of Irish railways, I believe many of us had the same mindset change moment when these hit the market. And I'd argue that was the change of mentality needed to make serious Irish modelling a viable concern - the willingness of its public to compromise a little on price to avoid having to compromise on quality and authenticity. Paddy's nous told him that the number of us ready to make that journey had hit a critical mass where producing a model of top notch quality would be financial viable. That if he built it, we would come - even though many of us said or thought beforehand that we wouldn't or couldn't. And build it he did, and beautifully so. And many more after it. And we'll be forever grateful and in his debt.

RIP Paddy, may you rest in peace. And belated condolences to his family and many friends here.

[fishplate7]

Paddy Murphy will always be remembered as the man who lit the fire under the world of Irish Model Railways! When those first 141/181 locos started appearing in c 2008 I was away on holidays in France. I remember those frantic phone calls home trying to reserve/buy some! And there was no joy either! The word was out - these models were superb, and to die for!  I eventually found a supply in Frizinghall Models in the UK, and the rest is history! I made sure that would never be caught out like that again! Many models later, we can relive those magical days of Irish railways in both sound and vision! Paddy awoke the dreaming child in us all with these superb models. And it is great to see that growth in modelling Irish railways continue with the likes of Accurascale, the Bray Show monthly traders, etc., etc. I always enjoyed meeting Paddy at the shows, not only to talk about models but also about school. We both went to the same school in Dublin, albeit years apart. Many of the teachers were known to both of us so many, many stories were exchanged at these shows. Great memories indeed. RIP Paddy

 

[declan64]

My Tribute to Paddy, to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude. May he RIP.

 

[Rush and Lusk]

I'm a little late to this, only learned today of the sad departure of Paddy Murphy RIP - I came to the hobby during the Covid Pandemic and discovered the wonderful world and products of Murphy Models, IRM and this super community - I met Paddy at several of the shows, he always had time & patience for "newbie's" like me, and most recently at the Blackrock show last October, ebullient on his new DART project. A pioneering, warm, lovely man, leaving a profound legacy behind him. Condolences to his family and associates. May he glide smoothly behind his 141/181 on his current journey - Rest in Peace.

George