Dr Jack Murphy – Obituary
Dolmen Sport Horses, New Ross, County Wexford
The Irish Horse Board announces with deep regret, the death of Dr Jack Murphy of Dolmen Sport Horses, New Ross, County Wexford, on 20th January 2026. 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. 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, County 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 Emma, Lorna, 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.
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 extends its sincere condolences to Jacks family, friends, colleagues and the wider Wexford and Irish equestrian communities. The sport horse industry has lost a committed director, a thoughtful educator and a dedicated breeder.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Link to RIP notice HERE