J. B. Malone

John James Bernard (J.B.) Malone (December 13, 1913 – October 17, 1989) was an Irish hill-walking enthusiast who popularised the pastime through his television programmes and books. He was responsible for the establishment of the Wicklow Way as a recognised walking trail, having first proposed it in 1966.

Malone was born 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.

Malone moved to Ireland in 1931. He found employment in a builders’ providers firm and an insurance company before joining the Irish Army in 1940. There he became a cartographer in the intelligence section. In 1947, having left the army, he went to work at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs as a draughtsman. He remained in the civil service until his retirement in 1979.

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

Malone started hill-walking in 1931 when he climbed Montpelier Hill to visit the ruins of the Hellfire Club. Later, while on leave during his military career, he developed a detailed knowledge of walking routes throughout the Wicklow hills. Following his retirement from the civil service, he was appointed as a field officer with the Long Distance Walking Routes Committee of Cospóir, the National Sports Council. 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.

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