For some 50 years or so, we have been selling menswear by Magee of Donegal, specialising in formal wear and mens suits for business and special occasions. It is an Irish owned company that employs hundreds of workers in its joint location of Donegal town and Ballymena.

With a Magee suit, the trend and classic colours and designs are brought to life in their world-renowned luxury fabrics to create the ultimate feel good garment. The Autumn/Winter collection is no different and recently a director of the company summed up what we can expect from the latest offering of mens suits.

“Our focused tailored-look and classic-fit suit offer is comprised of super wools and wool rich blends in micro designs, checks, strong and shadow stripe designs in flannel and pressed finishes.

The flannel look is a key trend for AW10, a move away from the chintz look of previous seasons. Soft, brushed fabrics with cashmere touches are a key trend across the entire collection as customers seek traditional luxury.

Regarding the fit- the silhouette is still narrow, tailored and neat. Waists are nipped, lapels and pocket flaps are thin, shoulders are narrowed and trousers are slim. The trims are colourful and made from natural materials.

The trend and classic colours and designs are brought to life in our world renowned luxury fabrics to create the ultimate feel good garment.”

There are basically two options:
1) Get on the phone and reserve a tuxedo at your local suit hire outlet or
2) (increasingly becoming  more popular) Buy a new dress suit online from a formal wear store such as www.tom-murphy.ie

Most websites that sell formal wear will deliver a tuxedo to your door within a couple of days. Going for a brand new tuxedo ensures you will look your best on the day and have a tux permanently in your wardrobe instead of having to rush in and hire a tux at the last minute.
The most popular type of tuxedo at the moment is the two-button notch lapel style. It suits all shape and sizes and can have side vents, centre vents or no vents. Our Scott tuxedo is a two-button style with side vents and, at €149, represents seriously good value.
Another popular dress suit that we sell is from, Dutch super brand, Van Kollem. At €249, a Van Kollem tuxedo is slightly more expensive but then again, it is made from a high-end fabric and the manufacturers have done their homework, as the fit is superb.

It looks great with a skinny tie and black shirt as you can see from the picture of Tom below. For a  more conventional look, tuxedos can be simply worn with a black bow-tie and wing collar shirt

Miriam O'Callaghan with Tom Murphy and freinds

Wilvorst

For a number of seasons now we have been offering a made to measure wedding suit service. This year has seen a huge growth in the number of grooms opting to have their wedding suit handcrafted by our business partners and top German suit manufacturer, Wilvorst.
The colours and fabrics that are on offer are wide and varied. Top quality wool suits are available in different lengths and numerous style combinations. The customer can choose any type of lapel or fit that he wants. All he has to do is come in and be measured by our expert tailors and wait 8 weeks until the suit is ready and delivered to your doorstep.

The suits can be made in a two or three piece combination. Generally grooms will order a waistcoat, neckerchief and cravat to accessorise the outfit. The good news is the prices usually stay around the €600 mark for a bespoke suit that represents seriously good value.

The most popular colours that are chosen would be the black suit, grey suit, beige suit and brown suit. When I spoke to Tom he told me;

Wilvorst

“Another reason for the popularity of made to measure suits for grooms is that the rest of the party can be co-ordinated to match the groom from our suit hire collection. This saves on the overall cost of kitting the men out and allows the groom to stand out at the same time.

“A couple of years ago i would never have envisaged us selling suits at this price level but one of the consequences of the recessionary period is that there is a huge demand for cheap mens suits”.

Suits under 100 euro

These suits come in a wide variety of patterns and fabrics and another reason for their popularity is that they fit very well. They are ideal as business or occassion suits and some wedding parties have been buying them for the whole group.

Currently the website has 12 suit styles available in the 100 euro and under category but there is a strong possibility that these will be added to in the near future so watch this space carefully.

Tom Murphy, Michael Shields, James Masters and Eoin Murphy

We want to wish the best of luck to the Cork Footballers for their big game on Sunday and express our gratitude to the members of the panel that have been coming into the store over the years.
We took great pleasure in kitting the lads out in their clothes for the All-Ireland finals in recent years. Having come so close in recent seasons, all of us have a gut feeling this could be the year to bring the Sam McGuire cup back to Leeside.

Graham Canty

Over the years a lot of the lads have been into us to get kitted out for their wedding gear. Recently, the talisman and captain, Graham Canty honoured us by posing for this photograph in his designer Wilvorst wedding suit. Hopefully he will be fit for the game on Sunday and the Dubs. Even dressed up and getting ready for his big occasion in his wedding suit, this guy looks like he will take no prisoners.

COME ON THE REBELS

Me under the hot towel

This afternoon I had the very pleasant experience of visiting Karizma, the newest Turkish barbers in town.
From the moment I walked in I was made to feel very welcome by the Karizma lads. It was a big change from some of the other establishments that I had visited before to get an authentic Turkish shave.

Smoothly does it

The setting was perfect. As I waited for my turn, I was being serenaded by the dulcet sounds of one of Cork’s best known buskers, who bases herself right across from Karizma. There is definitely no need for a sound system in this place with such heart-warming melodies breezing in the door.
For anybody who has never been under the blade of a Turkish barber, I strongly recommend that you pay them a visit. The feel of the hot fragranced towels on the face is a great sensation. And the facial massage you receive afterwards beats all. I must say that my face felt as clean as a whistle after my shave

I would definitely recommend that potential grooms pay this place a visit on the morning of their wedding. I could think of no better way to get suitably groomed and relaxed in perparation for the big day.

Just last week Michael, the longest serving member of our team made the second of his recent trips to Musgrave Park to suit up the Munster rugby panel for the forthcoming season. Armed with his measuring tape and measurement books he set about the task of suiting and booting Messieurs O Connell and co.

As usual there was great banter and craic as Michael went about the task of measuring these man mountains. The running joke was that the measurement tape might not be big enough to go around the massive torsos of Donnacha, Paul and Dennis Leamy and two tapes would have to be joined together. Current squad member and former Tom Murphys employee Tom Gleeson kept a watchful eye on the proceedings and also had a good slag off Michael.

Michael Murphy with Paul O Connell

Patrick Murphy - Winner

As we already explained in a previous blog, we run a facebook competition called ‘Groom of the Month‘ which entitles the winner with €500 of their mens suits. We ended the last blog by mentioning how, “People have already inquired about next month’s competition and the contestants we have lined up are chomping at the bit to get the voting under way”. And thanks to the efforts of Patrick Murphy and Harvey Dwane, that turned out to be the understatement of the century!!!!

Keeping in mind that we had 5 other competitors, it was clear that Harvey and Patrick wanted/needed it that bit more. Between them, they garnered just fewer than 2,500 votes. They had beaten our previous highest vote campaign by more than double. It was a constant battle for top position and it literally did go down to the final day. Tensions were unbearable for both men. At one point I was monitoring the votes and deleting any votes that had been repeated. I started as usual with Patrick’s (as his was the first photo in the album). After deleting a few posts I was told I had a phone call. It was Patrick wondering how his votes (and more importantly his lead) were lost. Like I said, tension was surreal. I reassured him it was all part of the process and that I would be going through Harvey’s posts too and removing duplicate votes.

Harvey Dwane - Runner Up

This clearly was our most popular competition so far. While checking Harvey’s votes, I came across many mutual friends, who later told me they were persuaded to vote, and not by Harvey. He doesn’t even have a facebook account. In the end, Patrick won by a nose with 1,246 votes leaving Harvey in second with a respectable 1,234 votes. However, like our first competition where first and second were separated by 3 votes, we again decided to reward Patrick with his €500 voucher of his wedding suit hire and Harvey with a €250 voucher. The last time we did this, we said never again. However, with 1,234 votes, we felt Harvey needed some recognition. Patrick was happy with his reward and he rang in expressing his gratitude while also leaving this message on our Facebook page:
“Thanks to everyone who voted for me, to those who posted something on their profile and those who begged for votes!!! It all paid off thank God. Also fair play and well done to Harvey and Emily. It was a fierce battle right up to the last minute. Wishing ye both all the very best on ye’re big day too!!! Also well done to Tom Murphy on a great comp. I’d recommend ye to anyone!! I’ll bring your wham bar in with me!”
(The wham bar is a whole different story haha)

The popularity of our page was widespread. Tom received a phone call explaining how a marketing class spent an entire session reviewing our page and how we were succeeding with our Facebook campaign. He also received an offer to help another business with their Facebook business account. He had to graciously decline. He is busy enough distributing mens suits and suit hire. We also recently got an email from a girl in Australia, detailing how she even heard of our page and would appreciate any pointers we could offer.

Once again, we would like to thank everyone for their participation and votes. We look forward to the next competition.

Tom Murphy's in the 1920s

If you ever pay a visit to our store on Patrick street, you will see that we have a lot of memorabilia hanging on our walls. It all helps describe the history of our store’s colourful past, and how it evolved into what it is today. There’s all sorts of pictures from times past adorning the walls of the shop. The pictures alone can tell the story about the growth of Tom Murphys.

Tom Murphy's over 100 years ago

There was a  fashion related shop at number 58, Patrick Street as far back as 1857 (excluding a decade of a Music Warehouse phase). Originally wwned by Chabrel and called The French House. It was the place to go for, “best fashionable hats”, as well as the clerical kind.

In 1883, John O’Brien & Co. took over number 58 and it became the Cork Woollen & Hat Warehouse. It was then the place to go for, “West of England black and blue cloths”, and, “silk, felt and tweed hats”.

Then in 1907, the business went to one D Mullane, who sold ladies corsets and baby clothes until 1921, when the Rosehill family moved in and opened a music warehouse. Back in 1938, when the Rosehills sold up and moved on, Tom Murphy from North Main Street and his wife to be, Anne Welsh from Aherla, got engaged and bought the lease to the shop on the same day. Tom, roughly 30 at the time, had served his apprenticeship, in Heagarty on Castle Street, as a draper’s assistant had set himself up to sell menswear.

Michael, son of Tom, took over completely in 1960/61 and the next decade saw him selling, “Cheesecloth shirts and mohair suits”.  It was the 60s that saw the introduction of the dress hire side of the business, while the later 60’s school wear was also added. The popularity of Levis and Wranglers jeans, in the 70’s, caused Tom Murphys to focus most of thier attention to this latest trend, however in the 80’s they moved more into the suit, jacket and trouser industry.

When I asked Michael to reflect on some of his memories, he told me, “We had a great hat business and every Saturday morning you’d have to go to Lyon & Co on the South Main Street to collect them. You’d sell 2 or 3 dozen hats, either the ‘Set Shape’ or the ‘Fur Felt’”. One of Tom Murphy’s constant suppliers has been Magees. Michael remembers his father having, “hard times in the shop in the early 1950s when the polio epidemic hit and children were evacuated from the city and schools were shut down. Magees of Donegal were very good to us at the time and I still buy from them”.

He also recalls Jack Lynch as a Cork TD in the early 60s coming to buy Forest Hill shirts and Christy Ring buying suits and dress suits. Ring and Lynch were, “Great friends of my father’s, who used to play with Glen Roveers. They’d gather in the shop on Monday mornings to discuss sporting outcomes and results”.

My friends and I decided to drive this year rather that rent a bus so I drove with 2 friends in the (bag, tent and alcohol filled) car on the Thursday. On the way the weather started to turn and the rain was pouring. Luckily, it took a brief break as we arrived and hurriedly pitched our tents. I was made return our mini marquee to my car as it was too unsafe with the winds, security explained. However, as the rain restarted, we snuck it in by breaking it into smaller pieces and hiding it among other friend’s tents to bypass security. When we did pitch it, we removed half of the poles, so to reduce the size, and decided to sit inside in it. Apparently this met security’s standards as no one made us remove it. The Thursday was spent exploring the campsites in our rain gear as no gigs were due to start until Friday. We wandered to the funfair where the Nokia stage was built. The Nokia stage was an all day disco/rave. So we stayed there till the early hours of Friday morning.

On Friday, the first gig I attended was The Coronas on the Main Stage. They set the tone to a great weekend by playing with an upbeat and happy mood despite the rain. The rain only added to the banter being had as everyone sang and danced to their hits. The rest of the bands I saw that day included The Delorentos, Vampire Weekend, Jay-Z, Stereophonics and Fatboy Slim. Highlight of the day would have included Delorentos front man crawling into the crowd to finish their encore. The low point must have been loosing both keys to our locked tent and (drunkenly) attempting to rip the wet lock off. We eventually succeeded when cooler heads prevailed and a scissors was borrowed to cut a new entrance. Or else it was Tom getting someone to text me asking me a password for one of our blogging sites. Last thing I wanted was a reminder about work back home. Only joking, if anything it made the can in my left hand taste that much sweeter.

2 Door Cinema Club kicked off the Saturday. Again their Indie genre and carefree attitudes made it simple to ignore the rain. Scot rockers, Biffy Clyro, really impressed by ignoring the rain and playing only in skinny jeans and leaving their upper bodies exposed to the pelting rain. They certainly gained a fan out of me as I (half) remember exposing my phone to the rain to remind myself to buy their albums when I returned home. It seemed a good idea at the time, but my phone was acting irregular for a few hours after. “At least Tom won’t be able to get a hold of me!!!”, I remember shouting to my friend. The day came to a perfect close as Florence + The Machine and Kasabian played right after one another. They truly were the highlights of the entire festival as they played their crowd-pleasing tracks to perfection. Muse also managed to please, but I found it hard to get too inspired after expending most of my energy previously and not knowing many of their songs. However I enjoyed the front man, Matt Bellamy, taking to the stage in a rain jacket. He eventually ditched it and weathered the storm as we all did.

The final day exploded with the Sun finally making an appearance. I’ve the farmer’s tan (burn) to prove how hot it truly was. Bad choice wearing my AFL Brisbane Lions jersey. However it provided me with some amusement as I convinced many I was Australian and travelled all this way for the festival. D12 started the day and kept me amused until Joshua Radin appeared. His laid back performance allowed me to finally get some sense of relaxation and this mood was continued by Paolo Nutini. However (but not unfortunately), when Faithless arrived, the tempo exploded as everyone sprang back into life. Eminem and Mumford & Sons were clashing and I was the only one willing to skip Eminem. So I made a compromise to watch Mumford & Sons and leave early to meet the lads for the last few Eminem songs. And I don’t regret it as I got the songs I really wanted and now I get to say I at least saw some of Eminem to people. Our Sunday finished with everyone discussing/arguing who was the best/worst of the weekend back at our campsites over the last of what (little) drink we had left.

Out of 10, I give the festival a 20. I enjoyed it immensely and am already looking forward to next year. I wouldn’t mind if the mud give it a skip though