Denis John Murphy, who died on July 20th aged 68, was a prominent Cork businessman who in the early 1980s set up Swansea Cork Ferries so as to bring business to his native city. He was also an enthusiastic huntsman and a popular figure in Cork society.
He was born on August 18th, 1933, one of six children of Conn and Anna Murphy. His father owned St Patrick's Woollen Mills, Douglas, which he'd purchased in 1942. The company was a large producer of tweeds for export which at its height employed around 200 people and had two knitwear subsidiaries.
Denis Murphy was a student at Glenstal Abbey after which he attended Leeds University, where he studied for a degree in textile technology. When he completed his studies he returned to Cork to work alongside his father.
When Conn Murphy died in 1970 his son took over the company. However the Irish textile industry was under pressure from imports from lower wage economies and in 1975 St Patrick's Woollen Mills ceased operations. Denis Murphy decided to develop the site of the old woollen mills as an industrial estate and it is now home to some 50 small commercial and industrial tenants employing a few hundred people. It remained Denis Murphy's base for the remainder of his working life.
He was a member of the Cork Harbour Commission and twice served as chairman (1982 to 1984 and 1994 to 1996). It was in this capacity that he decided something needed to be done when the State-owned ferry company, B&I Ferries, decided to pull out of Cork in the early 1980s. The decision was a harsh blow to Cork Harbour but also to commercial life in the city generally, particularly the tourism sector. The city had around the same period lost thousands of jobs as a result of the decisions of Dunlop and Ford to close operations there.
Denis Murphy was among a core group of people who decided that something would have to be done. Negotiations began around the idea of a number of local authorities who were affected by the B&I decision, coming together to set up their own ferry company. Cork County Council, Kerry County Council, Cork City Council and the West Glamorgan County Council, in Wales, set up Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd in 1984. It was indicative of Denis Murphy's input that he was appointed chairman.
The company started operations in 1987, using a leased ship. It operated again in 1988 but had to miss out on the 1989 season because a ship had not been leased in time. "It's very hard running a ferry company without a ship," Denis Murphy remarked at the time.
The company was back in action in 1990, bringing business to Cork Harbour and tourists to the Munster region generally. However the finances of the company were in a perilous state, with accumulated losses of approximately £2.6 million. However, the season worked out well and the company's fortunes improved, and has been profitable every year since. In 1993, a Greek shipping line, Strintzis Lines Shipping, bought the company for a price reported at the time as £1.27 million. The purchase included a commitment to continue to operate the Cork-Swansea line for a number of years.
In 1999, a consortium of Cork business figures linked to the company bought it back with Denis Murphy being among the group. He was chairman of the company at the time.
In January of this year the company bought its first ship, having used leased ships since it began operations. It had been one of Denis Murphy's dreams that the company he'd helped establish would one day own its own ship and he was a very proud man the day the $5.5 million deal was signed.
Denis Murphy had a number of other business interests. He was the youngest member of the board when he was appointed a director of Allied Irish Banks and was the longest-serving member of the board when he retired in December 2000. The transformation of the bank into a world-class player during his period with the bank was something he took great pleasure in.
He was a past president of the Cork Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the chamber's consultative committee up to the time of his death. He was also a former president of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland.
Apart from business and Cork City, Denis Murphy's other great passion was hunting. He was a master of the South Union Hunt. During the season he was out and about every Tuesday and Saturday and was a very popular figure in hunting circles. He loved hunting for its social side as much as the hunts themselves. He was also chairman of his local gun club, near Macroom, Co Cork.
He was a very popular man in business circles and in society generally, known for his energy, optimism and warmth. He was considered to be a top class after-dinner speaker, with a rare talent for telling a story.
Politically he was a long time supporter of the Fianna Fail Party, although he did spend a short time as a supporter of the Progressive Democrats.
He is survived by his wife Anne, whom he married 16 years ago; two children, Denis junior and Jennifer; sisters, Margaret and Ann, and brothers John and Finbarr. His other brother Maurice predeceased him.
Denis John Murphy: born 1933; died, July 2002