Fr. Paul Murphy (the stabbed chaplain in Galway) with Miriam O'Callaghan 4th May 2025

The Defence Forces’ chaplain Father Paul Murphy, who was at the centre of an incredible case recently when a teenage boy attempted to murder him. He explains why, after the sentence was handed down, he hugged the boy and told him he forgave him

'Fight hatred with love' - chaplain recounts stabbing
Updated / Sunday, 4 May 2025 12:05

Fr Murphy said he remembers the attack 'vividly'
Fr Murphy said he remembers the attack 'vividly'
Fr Paul Murphy, the Army chaplain who was stabbed by a 17-year-old boy at Renmore Barracks last year, has said he feels there is an opportunity for something different to happen if he can "fight hatred with love".

Fr Murphy was stabbed multiple times by the teenager at Renmore Barracks in Galway on 15 August 2024.

The boy was subsequently sentenced last month to ten years detention with the final two years suspended.

Fr Murphy said he thanks God every day that it was he and not someone else at the site who was attacked.

He said he remembers the attack "vividly", adding "while I didn't remember his face, I do remember the determination on his face and the real intent to put an end to my life".

Speaking on RTÉ's Sunday with Miriam, he said that the general consensus was that he "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. In my view, I was the right person in the right place at the right time."

This, he said, is because there were "a lot of young soldiers" who walked in and out of the barrack’s gates.

"I had a certain protection on my car, I'm of a certain age now," he said.

"I was in a position where I could contextualise what happened in a way that would be much more difficult for somebody who was a young soldier," he added.

Read more: Army chaplain forgives teenager who stabbed him

Fr Murphy said there "were so many blessings" on the night of the incident, citing his delayed return from a swim and his car window not opening fully.

"If it had opened the full way, I would be dead," he said.

He added: "Our Lady of the Rosary is the patroness of the Defense Forces.

"My rosary beads were beside me in the car, I had an image of my guardian angel on my visor.

"I was going nowhere that night."

Fr Murphy said he is "proud and honoured" to have scars from the attack, adding: "I am very happy to have that as I think that's a sign of love for the Defence Forces."

Regarding his embrace of the boy in court, he said his hope was that the "offer of forgiveness would change something".

Fr Murphy said he is 'in the business of forgiveness'
"You can fight hate with hate and then we become entrenched in our hatred, and we continue to hate one another, and I think there's enough of that going on in the world," he said.

"I just believe that if I can fight hatred with love, well then there's an opportunity for something different to happen," he added.

Fr Murphy said the fact the boy apologised to him "meant that that risk of forgiveness paid off".

He said his hope for the boy is that "he will have the opportunity and benefit from the opportunity of being de-radicalised and be able to return to society".

"If he can do this for himself, it means that he can make a good positive contribution to society for the rest of his life, rather than just being full of hate," he said.

The Army chaplain said that while he can "personally forgive", it does not take away "from the fact that an appalling crime happened".

"There was an offence against the State, an offence against the Defence Forces, an offence against every soldier who walks through the gate of the barracks, so that price has to be paid," he said.

However, he added: "To me I wasn’t out to say 'oh he has to be in prison for 20, 30, 40 years’ that doesn’t matter to me.

"Once I know that that boy is a better person coming out than going in, well then I’m happy with that."

On the publicity around the embrace, Fr Murphy said he is "in the business of forgiveness".

"I’m just surprised that a bit of mercy and compassion is so extraordinary, that it makes headlines," he said.
"Maybe if we were a bit more forgiving in the world, a bit less harsh on others, we might just have a better world," he added.