Maura Murphy, née McNamee (6 September 1928 – 5 October 2005) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

writer. Her autobiography ''Don't Wake Me at Doyles'' became a surprise hit upon its publication in 2004.

Early life

Mary McNamee was born in Clonmore, near

Edenderry Edenderry (; ) is a town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal runs along the south of Edenderry, through the Bog of Allen, and there is a short spur to the town ...

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

, one of the seven children of John McNamee and Mary Ann Hannon McNamee. Her father was a labourer. She left school at age 14.

Career

Murphy worked as a domestic and in other part-time jobs; she kept a diary through much of her life, as she raised nine children. She was diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

in 1999, at age 70. She began writing her autobiography ''Don't Wake Me at Doyles'' shortly thereafter. The book, though somewhat comical in tone, focuses on her life of hardship and poverty, and is critical of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

's stances on women, divorce, and contraception. It also includes diary entries by her adult children, as they visit during her illness. Murphy's autobiography was "a surprise best-seller" upon its publication in 2004. ''Publishers Weekly'' praised the book's "skillful storytelling and optimistic spirit" and called it a "hopeful, spunky sister to ''

Angela's Ashes ''Angela's Ashes: A Memoir'' is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, with various anecdotes and stories of his childhood. The book details his very early childhood in Brooklyn, New York, US but focuses primarily on his life ...

''," the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning autobiography of

Frank McCourt Francis McCourt (August 19, 1930July 19, 2009) was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book ''Angela's Ashes'', a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood. Early life and education Frank McC ...

Private life

Maura McNamee married John Murphy in 1953; they moved to Birmingham in 1959, where he worked in a tire factory. They had nine children born between 1953 and 1963. Though their marriage was often unhappy and they separated several times, she and her husband maintained a life-long connection. John Murphy was present during Maura Murphy's death in 2005, in Birmingham, aged 76 years.

References

External links

* Maura Murphy,
Don't Wake Me at Doyles
' (Headline Book Publishing 2005). {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Maura 1928 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Irish women writers 21st-century Irish women writers Irish women autobiographers People from Edenderry, County Offaly Writers from County Offaly 21st-century Irish autobiographers