VIDEO: UCC historian John A Murphy on permanent display

Almost as old as the state whose history he helped to write, John A Murphy’s work received permanent acknowledgment as University College Cork helped him mark his 90th birthday last night.

He wowed wellwishers with a rousing rendition of the satirical ballad, ‘The Bould Thady Quill’. It included a verse of his own composition about ‘the bould Prof Quill’, a thinly veiled likening of the song’s hero to himself as historian of the university.

That honorary title’s only perk has been an enviable parking space, but the former independent senator’s birthday was celebrated with the unveiling of a bronze portrait bust.