‘I thank God every day it was me he attacked‘: Army chaplain forgives boy who stabbed him

Irish Times

04-05-2025

Fr Paul Murphy, the Defence Forces chaplain who was
repeatedly stabbed by a teenage boy
at Renmore Barracks in Galway in August 2024, said he is grateful he was the one attacked that night.
'The general consensus was that I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now I would dispute that, and I would say that that wasn't the case at all,' Fr Murphy said.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday, the chaplain continued: 'That boy had come to kill a soldier, that's a matter of record... And I thank God every day that it was me that he got to, rather than one of the others.'
Fr Murphy (52), who has been a priest for almost 30 years and in the army for over a decade, said his life experience meant he 'could contextualise what happened in a way that would be much more difficult for somebody who was a young soldier, male or female, starting out'.
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On Tuesday, a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named because of his age, was sentenced to
eight years' detention
for the attempted murder of Fr Murphy.
The boy, who was 16 at the time of the attack, pleaded guilty in February. He had been radicalised by extremist Islamic content online, the court heard.
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Defence Forces chaplain hugs boy who stabbed him and says he is forgiven
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Fr Murphy said he forgives the boy for what he did, telling him this in person and embracing him.
The priest said there is 'always a risk in forgiveness' as it 'has to be accepted', adding that this risk 'paid off' as the boy told him 'I'm really sorry'.
Fr Murphy said he believes people were watching over him on the night of August 15th, 2024.
'Apart from the fact that somebody came to kill another person, everything was blessed on that night,' he recalled.
Fr Murphy was returning to the barracks following a swim when the incident occurred. An unknown person approached his car and he opened the window.
'If it had opened the full way, I would be dead,' he said.
'For some reason, my window didn't open fully on that night, it opened two thirds of the way.'
Fr Murphy noted that the attack happened on the date of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
'Our Lady got into heaven. They weren't ready for me that night,' he said.
'Our Lady of the Rosary is the patroness of the Defence Forces. My rosary beads were beside me in the car... I was going nowhere that night.'
Fr Murphy said he is doing well and currently preparing to go to Lebanon in June, his sixth tour of duty.
'I'm happy to be part of that,' he said.