'He was an institution': Lord Mayor leads tributes to Cork's John O'Connell following his death

The Lord Mayor of Cork has led tributes to John O’Connell, managing director of TW Murray and Co on Patrick Street, who passed away on Wednesday.

Mr O’Connell took over the distinctive tackle and outdoor pursuits business from his father in 1958 and, in the seven decades since, he had become as much a Cork institution as the shop itself.

Leading tributes to Mr O’Connell, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Kieran McCarthy, said TW Murray and Co was an intrinsic part of the social and commercial life of the city and Mr O’Connell was a much-loved figure who had served generations of Cork people.

“The shop is part and parcel of Patrick’s Street, and anyone who has ever done any research on the street’s history and heritage will know that TW Murray’s always pops up,” Cllr McCarthy said.

“In my earlier days I did a lot of fishing with my dad so we would have frequented the shop regularly, and John was an institution on the street.

“He will be very sadly missed, and I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends.

“You could buy so much there, and John kept a fantastically wide range of stock, but apart from that, John had a really, really great rapport with customers. He will be missed,” he said.

Mr O’Connell passed away on Wednesday.

His remains will repose at Jerh O’Connor’s Wilton Funeral Home on Sarsfield Road on Friday, February 16, from 5pm to 6pm.

Requiem Mass will be celebrated at 10am on Saturday, February 17 in the Church of the Holy Spirit at Dennehy’s Cross, with funeral afterwards to St Joseph’s Cemetery on Tory Top Road.