The IWDG were saddened to hear of the passing of Matt Murphy, founder of Sherkin Island Marine Station last Thursday. Matt was a legendary figure in the realm of marine biology and marine environmentalism in Ireland, and particularly in west Cork.
Matt established Sherkin Island Marine Station, with his wife Eileen, in 1975. The Marine Station was privately operated and funded from 1975 until 2015. It was run, as Matt would often say, ‘on a wing and a prayer’ and most would say, was driven by Matt’s sheer determination and persistence, with the support of his family and especially his children Michael, Robbie, Susan, Audrey, Mark, Matty and Peter. Matt kept the Marine Station running despite Eileen sadly passing away in 1979 at the young age of 37.
The Marine Station was located on 16 acres at Drolain Point, Sherkin Island, with a view over Roaringwater Bay and its many islands. Matt loved Sherkin and Drolain Point and indeed was not at all fond of leaving Sherkin for any length of time! The Station evolved from a small laboratory of 140 sq. ft. to a large complex of 5 laboratories and a library of some 100,000 books, journals, reports, reprints, together with an herbarium of plants and seaweeds.
The Marine Station had the goals of establishing baseline data on the marine life of the coastline from Cork Harbour and Bantry Bay and to record the natural changes in the plant and animal communities, to raise the level of awareness of the marine environment in Ireland and the potential of the sea to create jobs, and to help introduce young people to nature via the marine Station’s publications and educational programmes.
Sherkin Island Marine Station attracted many national and international researchers to its doors over the years. It also gave hundreds of marine biology graduates, from Ireland and overseas, their first start in marine biology recording and survey work. A weekly allowance of £10 was paid to marine station volunteers!… but compare that to today’s situation where ‘volunteers’ are now asked to PAY thousands to gain the same sort of experience!
Over the years Matt and Sherkin Island Marine Station ran educational programmes, international environmental conferences and published books and newsletters on marine biology in Ireland. The activities of the Marine Station and its publications won many awards and accolades. Matt was recognised for his visionary approach to independent marine research and his dedication to generating long-term datasets, with Sherkin plankton and intertidal data sets being the longest running in Ireland.
Matt’s legacy will live on through his family and through Sherkin Island Marine Station’s data and publications. Matt’s loss leaves a huge gap to be filled… ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann.
By Dave Wall (former volunteer at the Sherkin Island Marine Station