William Murphy ordained as a priest in 1961, is since 1995 the Roman Catholic Bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of Kerry

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kerry

The Diocese of Kerry is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly...

.

Life

Murphy was born in Annaghmore

Annaghmore

Annaghmore is a small village and townland near Loughgall in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 255 people. It is within the Armagh City and District Council area.-Places of interest:...

, County Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. He received his education at Ratheen National School and St Brendan’s College, Killarney

Killarney

Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...

. He studied for the priesthood at St Patrick's College, Maynooth

St Patrick's College, Maynooth

St Patrick's College, Maynooth is the "National Seminary for Ireland" , and a Pontifical University, located in the village of Maynooth, 15 miles from Dublin, Ireland. The college and seminary are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was officially established as the Royal College...

 and was ordained a priest in 1961.

For six years, Murphy taught at St Colman's College, Newry

St Colman's College, Newry

St Colman's College is a Roman Catholic school in Newry, Northern Ireland. Now named in honour of St. Colman, it was founded in 1823 as the Dromore Diocesan Seminary by a Father J.S. Keenan. The College stands on Violet Hill, the same 60 acre site it has occupied since 1829, adjacent to the...

. He then went on to study catechetics at Lumen Vitae, Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, and Fordham University

Fordham University

Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...

, New York where he earned an MA in Religious Education

Religious Education

Religious Education is the term given to education concerned with religion. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization, for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a...

 in 1969. He was Kerry diocesan advisor for Religious Education in primary schools in 1970, and then spendt three years at the Pontifical Gregorian University

Pontifical Gregorian University

The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...

, Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, earning a doctorate in divinity (DD) in 1973.

For the next five years he worked with the ‘Primary Catechetical Commission’ preparing the Children of God series, the primary catechetical program.

Murphy taught theology

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 in the Institute for Religious Education, Mount Oliver, Dundalk

Dundalk

Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...

for a year before returning to Kerry in 1979 as diocesan director of religious education in post-primary schools and co-ordinator of adult religious education in the diocese.

He was the first director of the John Paul II Pastoral Centre, Killarney, becoming Curate of Killarney Parish in 1987 and Administrator in 1988. Upon the death of Bishop Diarmaid Ó Súilleabháin in August 1994 he was appointed Administrator of the diocese of Kerry, and was elevated to Bishop in 1995.