If the walls of Murphy’s Bar on College Street could talk, they’d have 70 years of stories to pour you.

Luckily, I didn’t need talking walls — I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sean Murphy, the owner of Murphy’s Bar, and Diarmuid O’Callaghan, the bar’s steadfast manager of over 28 years. Between the two, there’s enough history, humour, and hospitality to fill a few barrels (and probably empty a few too).

Diarmuid, take us back to your very first day at Murphy’s…

Diarmuid (laughing): My application was up a ladder! Sean’s office was upstairs under renovation at the time and there I was, mid-climb, when I got offered the job on the spot. I finished up in The White Gates on Muckross Road, and made the move into town. My first shift was under Paudie O’Donoghue, a brilliant manager. And sure look, the rest is history.

And after all these years, what have been the standout days for both of ye?

Sean: The Munster Finals in Killarney — no question. Back then, there weren’t big pubs. We were jammed to the rafters, customers spilling out to the backyard, sitting on beer barrels.
Diarmuid: Oh the mayhem! We'd be pulling in casual staff left, right and centre to cope with the crowd. It was organised chaos in the best way.
So much has changed in those 70 years. What’s stayed the same?
Sean: The sense of welcome. You walk into Murphy’s, and whether you're a tourist or a local, you’re greeted like an old friend. That’s Peggy’s legacy — my mother — she started that.
Diarmuid: The big changes? Smoking ban, drink-driving laws, the health craze! Lads used to leave work and head to the pub. Now it’s the gym. And I miss the old 1pm lunch crowd — in, fed, and gone by 1:45pm like clockwork.
Sean: There was no food in bars originally. But one year, my mother came home from America and said, “You’ll never believe it — they serve lunches in pubs over there!” And just like that, the plated lunch was born at Murphy’s.

So what about showing matches?

Diarmuid: It was a different world. No Sky Sports in every bar — or every house.
Sean (laughing): I used to drive to Ballincollig to a fella who’d record the matches for me. I’d do a U-turn and race back to Killarney, where a pub full of punters would cheer as if it were live. We'd replay the game on Monday night too. Great times.
And my mother, the marketing genius! On fair days outside, she'd fry onions at the door to draw people in with the smell. Worked like a charm.

As I sat there listening, I realised how much has changed — Diarmuid’s 28 years alone span everything from Babycham to boutique gins. Now everyone has a match on their phone and news before it’s news. Do we still savour the surprises? Or are we too busy recording them?

Speaking of Babycham — what drinks have stood the test of time?

Diarmuid: Guinness, Harp, vodka and gin — the staples. But Babycham? That’s one for the history books. Sean: It was like a gentle prosecco. Came in a tiny bottle. The ladies loved it.

Sean, what are you most proud of?

Sean: Staying open for 70 years — through recessions, COVID, emigration. We’ve had amazing staff — Diarmuid’s been here 28 years, Philip’s our head chef 25 years, and Marian just retired after 26 years in accounts. It’s a family, really.
Diarmuid: I’m proud of the regulars, the birthdays we all sing for, the fact I’ve been entrusted with showing Sean’s four daughters the ropes – Emma, Rebecca, Isabelle and Tara.
Sean (interrupting): And thank God I’m not in charge of their rosters!
 

Diarmuid, can you give one piece of advice to the next generation of bar staff?

Diarmuid: Consistency. Keep your standards high, your service solid. And find that magic line — not too distant, not too familiar. Make eye contact and be yourself!

Sean, tell me about the early days of Murphy's Bar

Sean: In the 1950s, my mother Peggy managed Scott’s and my father John was a solicitor’s clerk just across the way. When they married in 1955, she bought Murphy’s — a bold move for a woman then, especially to keep working. We lived on Mangerton View and swapped houses with the Moriartys who were living above the bar.
My mother would bang the broom handle on the ceiling to call me and my siblings down to help – my twin Gearoid, Margaret, Martina, Noel RIP and Pat RIP. I was mortified when my friends would call to ask me out and Mam would ask them to peel spuds or go to Gleeson's for 2lbs of ham! But she’d always reward them after so thankfully they remained my friends.
In 2000, my wife Máire and I expanded into The Jug of Punch, later called Squires adding on 22 bedrooms. But people always knew it as Murphy’s. That’s the brand. That’s the home.

Before I left, I wandered through the bar — spotting photos of celebrities who’d dropped in over the years. Kevin Rahm from Desperate Housewives, Actress Ellen Barkin and actor Gabriel Byrne, Arnold Palmer, Kenny Rogers, Paul McGrath, Paul O’Connor....to name but a few. Murphy’s is clearly on the map.
Diarmuid, never one for the limelight, ducked back behind the bar with a nod. There was a certain amount of convincing done to partake in a Marie Meets column! Sean smiled and summed it all up:
“Hospitality is our tradition. It was never a chore. You’ll have good days and bad like any job, but we’ve been lucky. Diarmuid — he’s old-school, precise, and loyal. A wing man, really. I don’t think Murphy’s would be Murphy’s without him.”

Murphy’s Bar turns 70 this June, and the big bash is happening on June 16. As for the timeframe?
“All day and all night,” they said. In true Murphy’s style.