Murphy's law
September 16, 2010Since their establishment in 1981, O'Donovan Murphy and Partners Solicitors has been a Law Firm strongly in support of Cork GAA, or one that is "deeply committed to the GAA cause", according to Managing Partner, Florence Murphy.
Better known as Flor, the Urhan native is one of four partners in the Firm; the other three partners being the founder of the Firm, Denis A O'Donovan, Mary Jo Crowley and Margaret Collins, all of whom have backgrounds with their local clubs and/or are involved at present.
There are 19 employees currently working with the Partners in the Firm, and business has been challenging 'like any other business in the country at this point in time', according to Flor.
"We're a general legal practice or a typical country practice, you could say," Flor explained. "The main areas we work in these days are Probate (Wills, Administration of Estates and Estate Planning), Litigation (all Courts), Conveyancing transactions and boundary disputes, Family Law, Criminal Law and Legal Aid, Marine Law (Sea Fishing Boats and Tonnage), Debt Collection, Immigration and Employment Law".
"I joined Denis A O'Donovan as an apprentice in '83 and in '89 I became his partner. Mary Jo Crowley and Margaret Collins, who were also initially apprentices of the Firm, became partners in '98".
"Business is tough. The general practice is okay at the moment because notwithstanding the recession, there are certain events and times in people's lives during which they still need Solicitors' help and advice. Otherwise, the way the country has gone people just aren't buying property as much as they used to."
While Flor spent his juvenile days playing football with the Urhan club, he is now very much involved with the well-known Bantry Blues - a club that he acted as underage chairman for and still sits on the committee today.
However, before delving into his own involvement with the Blues, Flor explains what his partners have done, and are doing, for the cause.
"Denis O'Donovan was very involved all through his life with the GAA and was a Chairman of Muintir Bháire GAA Club for a number of years," Flor stated.
"He played with Muintir Bháire and later became Club Chairman. On moving to live in Bantry town, he became and remained a member of the Bantry Blues GAA Committee for a few years; his sons have also played with Bantry Blues and two of his sons currently play hurling with the Club."
Clearly Denis and his entire family are deeply immersed in Gaelic games, but he's not the only one. Mary Jo Crowley and Margaret Collins, the two female partners at O'Donovan Murphy and Partners, are both active supporters and volunteers in their respective GAA communities.
"Mary Jo Crowley, who is the only partner that is a native of Bantry, is married to Kevin Healy. Both Mary Jo and Kevin are members of Bantry Blues GAA. Their son Michael currently plays at U14 level for the Club. Kevin, since he arrived in Bantry, has been involved with the Club and over the years has served as a selector at Senior, U21 and Minor levels. He has also assisted in coaching the U10, U12 and U16 boys football teams, including the victorious U16 team which won the West Cork Championship in 2001.
"The other female partner, Margaret Collins, a native of Ballinacarriga, nr. Dunmanway, comes from a family steeped in GAA tradition. She has had, and still maintains, a keen interest in and involvement with her native club, Randal Ógs. Margaret's brother, John Collins, played on the Cork Minor hurling team in 1991 and both her brothers played with divisional side, Carbery, as well as for their local Randal Og GAA Club with whom they still play."
Now living in the Caheragh area, both Margaret and her husband, James O'Donovan, are actively involved in the Tadhg MacCarthaigh GAA Club where James coaches at underage level. Their two sons, Eoin and Liam, play football and hurling at u-10 and u-12 levels with the Caheragh Club.
Flor himself claims to be "probably the most active member of the firm involved in Bantry Blues", having held the position as chairman of the underage club for three years from 2005 to 2008. He has also been involved in the management of both underage boys and underage girls teams for the past number of years.
He was proud to state: "We have a son Joe who plays hurling and football with the club, and we have three daughters Emilie, Leah and Eve who play football and camogie with the club. My wife, Deborah O'Brien helps out in the Ladies section of the Club and this year, for instance, I am helping out at U16 level in the boy's side and at U10 level in the girl's side.
As a man born into the GAA, Flor's native club was Urhan and he did play some football in Bantry with Muintir Bháire, but over the past number of years he has been very involved with the Blues, both on the administration side and on the management side of the club. He is a member of the Senior Club Committee and is also on the Committees of the Juvenile Clubs.
Like matters on the field, the administration side of every club also has its ups and downs. Bantry learned this just under two years ago when they applied for planning permission to build new facilities.
"We had fantastic plans to relocate Bantry Blues to a purpose built complex outside the town," Flor revealed.
"We got planning permission, but unfortunately, the planning permission was appealed and recently An Bord Pleanála upheld the appeal. It has been a huge and devastating blow to Bantry Blues, so we are back to the drawing board now.
"The dream is not yet lost, though, and plans are firmly afoot to realise the new facilities that Bantry town and the surrounding areas so badly need and deserve. For now though a win for the Rebels this Sunday, and a first Sam Maguire triumph in 20 years, would momentarily make up for the disappointment of not obtaining planning permission".
Conor Counihan's team will bid to end Down's dream run in the All-Ireland series this weekend at Croke Park, where new All-Ireland champions will be crowned, and while Flor knows that the men from Leeside were pushed right to the brink of elimination by Dublin last month, he is still confident that they can go all the way cometh the hour.
"They stumbled (against Dublin), but they won and that's all that matters," said Flor.
"I think they will win the All-Ireland. They are good enough to do it and hopefully they'll do it come the big day."
As for the job Conor Counihan has done to date with the team, Flor is full of praise for the Cork supremo and a certain member of his management team who has provided a wonderful service to Bantry Blues down the years.
"He's done a great job," he agreed. "He's brought Cork to two All-Ireland finals in the last two years, so of course he's done brilliantly and he's been ably assisted by a Bantry man in Terry O'Neill."
"Terry would have been involved in our senior team down the years and it's great to see him in there and I'd like to wish him, Graham Canty, Alan O'Connor, Peadar Healy and the rest of the squad the best of luck for this Sunday."
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