J. B. Malone

Early years Malone was born in 1913 in Leeds, England, to James Bernard Malone and his wife, Agnes (née Kenny), both from Dublin. He was raised mainly in England and completed his secondary education at the Marist Brothers College, Grove Ferry, Kent.

Working life Malone moved to Ireland in 1931 where he found employment in a builders’ providers firm and an insurance company before joining the Irish Army in 1940. Later, while on leave during his military career, he developed a detailed knowledge of walking routes throughout the Wicklow hills. Malone sat on the Board of An Taisce in Ireland from 1970 to 1974. There, he negotiated rights of way with land-owners to enable his vision of the Wicklow Way to become a reality. Malone first proposed a guided walking route through the Wicklow hills in 1966, although he had first raised the idea as early as 1942.

Awards and honours In 1980, Malone was made an honorary life member of An Óige, the Irish Youth Hostel Association, in recognition of his contribution to promoting the Irish countryside.

Following his death in 1989, Malone's contribution to hill-walking in Ireland was marked by the erection of the J.B. Malone Memorial Stone plaque in his honour on a section of the Wicklow Way overlooking Lough Tay.

Personal life Malone married Margaret Garry in 1947 and they had three children. He died at St. James's Hospital, Dublin at the age of 75 and is buried in Bohernabreena Cemetery, Tallaght.

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