‘A beautiful, kind soul who fought until the very end’
LISA Murphy’s favourite pink hat and a Louis Vuitton handbag were among the symbols brought forward to the altar during a moving funeral service for the model and socialite.
Her younger brother Noel paid an eloquent tribute to the 51year-old’s warm heart and generosity, and to her courage and positivity while battling cancer.
He said she was a ‘beautiful, kind soul, who fought right until the very end’. Despite the rain pouring down yesterday, the funeral Mass at the Church of St John the Evangelist in Ballinteer, Dublin, was attended by a large crowd of mourners, including Ms Murphy’s two famous ex-fiancés, Riverdance star Michael Flatley and celebrity lawyer Gerald Kean.
Ms Murphy was best known to the public for her glamourous lifestyle and attendance at VIP events during the height of the Celtic Tiger, as a social diarist who went on to star on the reality show Dublin Wives. However, the service focused on her love for her family, and her positive energy which drew others to her and brightened their lives.
Eleanor McEvoy and Mary Black’s song Only A Woman’s Heart commenced the service, while the symbols brought forward by Ms Murphy’s family included her favourite pink hat, a Louis Vuitton handbag, her Fitbit, a large bar of Toblerone and her favourite popcorn. Her niece Sophia said the deceased had once been asked for ID while wearing the hat – a story she had enjoyed telling for many months afterwards.
The Fitbit represented her love for exercise, Sophia said, tracking both her steps in Marlay Park and her sleep the night before. The cheesy popcorn had been her goto comfort food in recent weeks, while she did not have much of an appetite, Sophia explained, but chocolate had been one of her favourite things in life.
Regarding the bag, she said: ‘Lisa loved nothing more than getting dressed up, and was always effortlessly stylish.’
Paying tribute, Ms Murphy’s younger brother, Noel, said a message of condolence from a woman in Cork had described his sister as ‘endlessly fascinating, classy, dignified and serene… the true definition of a lady’. He said Ms Murphy had been the perfect child, never giving an ounce of trouble to her parents, and always on hand to bail out her younger siblings.
He said this was in part due to the role she played in helping take care of her special brother Paul.
‘In her 51 years, Lisa lived a life so full of love and energy, that was so vibrant that everyone who came in contact with her instantly fell in love with her,’ he told mourners. ‘Lisa was born to be a mother, but although she wasn’t blessed with her own children, she most definitely had six children in her nieces and nephews. They absolutely adored her beyond words.’
She would be the brightest person arriving in the oncology ward, with her colourful matching attire and new runners every month, he added.
In February last year, the family were told Ms Murphy had just a couple of months to live – something she herself did not want to know. ‘But in true Lisa style, she fought heroically, and well surpassed this timeline,’ Noel said.
Co-parish priest Paul Callan said Lisa’s death had been ‘heartbreaking’ for her siblings Noel and Kira, as well as for her parents Des and Eileen – her brother Paul having died in a road accident 28 years ago.
Nephew Josh told mourners that he and the other nephews and nieces would all miss their ‘brilliant Auntie Lisa’.
The family thanked staff in St Vincent’s Hospital for their care. Following the service, Ms Murphy was laid to rest in Mount Venus Cemetery in Rathfarnham.
‘Classy, dignified and serene’
‘They adored her beyond words’