Glanmire bookie Tim Murphy thanks 'hero' who tripped burglar then 'booted him up the arse’

By Joe Leogue

The manager of a Cork bookmakers said he was “inspired” to tackle armed raiders when he saw his octogenarian customer leap to his aid.

Tim Murphy, manager of Bar One Racing in Glanmire, revealed that the trio of would-be burglars were demanding that he empty the contents of the safe before 83-year-old great-grandfather Denis O’Connor chased them off on Saturday evening.

Footage of the incident went viral over the weekend, and Mr Murphy told The Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s Red FM that the attempted raid was intimidating.

When you see the footage, it’s kind of shocking, but it was the noise that was actually incredible,” he said. “They were just roaring, and they bashed the hammers a few times and it was just shocking for most of it.

“I’ve worked in the bookies for a long time and I’ve been expecting to happen at some stage, but when it actually happens it’s a total shock.

“They wanted the safe money, they weren’t interested in the fivers and tenners in the till, they were shouting ‘we want the safe, we want the safe’.”

One of the raiders carried what appears to be a gun. While he did not see the weapon close up, Mr Murphy said his review of the footage leads him to believe the gun was real.

That gun wasn’t pointed at me at any stage, it was just the hammer fellas that came to me, but it looks quite real in the footage,” he said. “We have good hi-def footage, and I wouldn’t know guns, but it looks quite real in the footage.

Mr Murphy said it was Mr O’Connor’s intervention that inspired him to fight back against the raiders. He knew Mr O’Connor prior to the incident, and knew he exercised regularly to keep fit.

“I was just being threatened by the two fellas with the hammers, but then Denis tackled one of them so I said I just have to tackle this fella now as well,” he said.

“I remember Denis just shouting ‘you’re cowards, you’re total cowards’. Denis is a total hero. When I saw him take one of them on he inspired me.

“He just came to my aid, he wasn’t looking after the bookies, he was looking after me... I could never thank him enough.”

He said the raiders wore balaclavas and hoodies, were in their very early 20s or possibly late teens, and fled the scene in what he thinks may be an Audi A4 which sped off in the direction of Watergrasshill.

However, the have-a-go hero grandad can be seen in the footage giving one of the raiders a parting shot as he fled the building.

He tripped him first, then booted him up the arse — it was fantastic,” Mr Murphy said.

Mr Murphy said the owner of the bookies brought both himself and Mr O’Connor out to lunch yesterday in recognition of their efforts.

- Anyone who has any information about the raid is asked to contact Mayfield Garda Station at 021-4558510 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.