From the Irish Examiner: The Murphys have a remarkably long service record with Liebherr hotels in Co Kerry, touching on 200 years between them.
Donie Murphy, concierge at The Europe, is the hotel’s longest-serving employee and plans to retire next year after 51 years.
The Millstreet, Co Cork, native started as a commis waiter in 1962. It was a summer job that became permanent and he now wonders where all the years have gone.
“Working at the porter’s desk, you meet hundreds of people and I certainly love that. If you put an effort into your work, you don’t miss time passing and I’ve always enjoyed being with people,” he says.
At this stage, Donie could spend hours listing the names of celebrities, leading politicians and sports stars he has welcomed.
Singers Rod Stewart and Joe Dolan, actors Rex Harrison and Maureen O’Hara, golfers Nick Faldo and the two Christy O’Connors, politicians Charlie McCreevy and Bertie Ahern and the then German president Dr Karl Carstens in 1980, among countless others, he recalls.
His wife, Liz, is accommodation manager at the hotel where she has worked for 36 years.
“Standards are very high in a five-star hotel and the job can be tough at times. You have to be professional in what you do and take pride in your work,” she says.
Liz’s aunt, the late Lily Doyle, was the first person to be employed by Hans Liebherr and worked in the Ard na Sidhe Country House.
Donie Murphy’s brother, John, was head barman in The Europe and retired last year after 50 years.
Another Murphy brother, Tommy, was head barman at The Dunloe where he worked for more than 20 years and where his wife, Mary, was a pastry chef….
The above is an excerpt from an article in the Irish Examiner (5th June 2012) on the Liebherr group of businesses in Ireland
