Michael Kevin Murphy was educated at Christian Brothers' College, Cork; Downside School; and the London Hospital Medical College. He graduated in medicine in 1960. After internship and surgical house posts he obtained the Diploma in Anaesthetics and went briefly into anaesthetics, but soon returned to his first love, orthopaedics. In 1966 he took the FRCS. He held posts at Ascot, the Royal Free Hospital, and St Thomas's before becoming senior registrar at Luton and Dunstable. Later he moved to Guy's Hospital, from where he took up the post of orthopaedic surgeon at Cork in 1972. After this appointment he devoted much time to the development of his special interests in joint replacement and scoliosis. His consultant career was to prove tragically short. Keenly interested in sport, he played rugby in the first fifteen for Downside School. He also represented the school at tennis and boxing. While at the London Hospital he played on the Hospitals' Cup winning side and later played with the London Irish. He was a member of the Cork and County Club, Muskerry Golf Club, boating and tennis clubs, and the Cork Arts Society. He also excelled at skiing, squash and golf. His wife Mary is also a doctor, and they had two children. He died on 9 March 1978, aged 44 years.