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Anthony Murphy was born in Dublin in 1944 and came to live in the UK in August 1968 and says:

"If you grew up three minutes walk away from Christy Brown (My Left Foot), and your father drinks with Stephen Behan (father of Brendan) and your mother regales you throughout your childhood about how she saw James Joyce coming out of the Volta Cinema ‘— He looked like Jack the Ripper!’— then sooner or later you have to give in and become a writer.
But I managed to hold out until two years ago. But now that I've started there will be no stopping me!"

1962 to 1968

Anthony had a very brief dalliance with the professional theatre in Dublin as a Monk assisting in dressing the Pope in Brecht's The Life of Galileo at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin in 1964.

After bouts of singing in pubs, clubs and convents, he finally made the leap and headed for London and took on the first of many public sector engagements, as a London bus conductor. Fame did not elude him for long, though.  He is still remembered in Stamford Hill as the only London bus conductor to fall off his own bus whilst it was still in service!

1970 to 2001

Youth worker, community worker, community arts worker, residential social worker, child protection social worker, psychiatric social worker, community mental health worker. Trainer, management consultant in community mental health, Anthony has spent most of his working life writing about people: desperate people, distressed people, courageous people.  No credits but lots of critical responses, ranging from:

‘"Mr. Murphy is a greasy bollock"
(The singular somewhat is a bit perplexing)

‘"He's a diamond geezer, dead straight, calls a spade a spade"
 (And yes, this accolade was accorded by one of his many Afro-Caribbean clients)

‘"I have been very impressed with Mr Murphy and his reports"
(Justice C in High Court after he had spent five hours giving evidence
as an expert witness in a Child Protection case)

‘"Why don't you fuck off back to the bogs where you came from?"
 (A disgruntled delinquent on his way to Youth custody on my recommendation)

Who said there's no such thing as bad publicity!

2001 to present:

Following triple by-pass and mitral-valve-replacement surgery in 2002, Anthony decided to take the ‘"easy"’ path and start writing.

Since April 2003 he has attended classes in creative writing, playwriting, screenplay and community theatre at Morley College, Goldsmiths College and CityLit.  He now has three plays and a collection of short stories in progress.

Jerry Springer goes to Verona
Original idea and co-writer
CityLit November/December 2004
Small Scale Touring Company

A TIE project exploring the relationships and responsibilities arising
from the events in Romeo and Juliet.  Presented and performed
with students preparing for GCSE in English Literature.
Further details on request.

Readings of Anthony Murphy's work at awl:

Other work at awl:

Sound Technician for Hard Times by Paddy Gormley
Click on the image on the left for audio clips of Hard Times (the pilot episode of Paddy Gormley's radio sitcom Poet's Corner), in which Anthony Murphy was sound technician.

Anthony is awl Chairman & Competition Co-ordinator

Email: Anthony Murphy
 

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