Humphrey Murphy

Areas of Expertise

Human Performance, Market & Social Science Research, Consumer Profiling & Marketing, Social Change & Transformation

Contact

humphrey.murphy@atu.ie

Bio

Humphrey is a business development consultant in sports, tourism and outdoor recreation having previously worked as a developer of commercial, public and education sports businesses for private and public bodies in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe. He also lectures part-time at Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

Academic Qualifications: BA, MBS (Business Development), MSc (Exercise and Nutrition), Graduateship Marketing MIII, Postgraduate Diploma (Research Methods.), currently completing an MSc in Data Analytics.

A qualified coach in a range of adventure sports he has led first descents of some of the world’s most challenging rivers in Siberia, Caucasus and the Himalayas (kayaking and rafting), solo flights across its deserts in Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan (paramotor) and solo climbing ascents of some of its highest mountains in the Himalayas and Karakorum including Everest.

Research, Innovation & Engagement

His research interests are in the role and conceptualising of active recreation to support healthy lifestyles and the search for authenticity through the experience of risk, discomfort and chaos. Humphrey has presented at a number of Irish and international sports and outdoor recreation conferences on these topics and has chaired panel discussions, acted as rapporteur and provided after-dinner speeches at these events.

Humphrey has overseen the delivery and has provided external evaluation services on EU funded INTERREG and Horizon sport development programmes in a number of European countries.

He is the author of a number of sports and physical activity strategic reviews and plans for government departments, Sport Ireland, and a number of County Councils. He has developed the national guidelines on outdoor recreation water trails, co-authored the 1998 and the 2014 review of the need for safety legislation in the Irish adventure sports sector and is occasionally called on to provide expert witness testimony for adventure sports related accidents.

Humphrey has worked closely with waterways Ireland, Failte Ireland and Sport Ireland on the conceptualising, development, piloting and evaluation of the Blueway concept and he has developed most of the adventure sports related level 4 and 5 training awards.