Tributes paid to man who captured the Troubles

Tributes had been paid to a photographer and former Irish News picture editor who captured many unforgettable moments from throughout the Troubles.

Brendan Murphy, who died at the age of 84, trained and mentored photographers and reporters throughout the years.

Mr Murphy retired in March 2003 after 23 years with the newspaper, but continued to take pictures for the publication afterwards.

Tributes have been paid to the talented picture editor by former work colleagues, students and friends.

His book “Eyewitness: Four Decades of Northern Life” was published in 2003, and is a personal pictorial record of Northern Ireland life over nearly forty years.

Former BBC Newsline assistant editor Seamus Kelters, who died at the age of 54 in 2017, provided the text for the book.

Mr Murphy’s work was also featured in The Andersonstown News, The Irish Times and The Irish Independent, and others.

Photographer Cathal McNaughton said Mr Murphy “was a mentor, a father figure, and a dear friend — the man who taught me not just how to look, but how to see”.

“His influence will live on in every frame we compose, in every story we strive to tell with honesty and heart. I will miss him greatly.”

He said Mr Murphy will be remembered “for the haunting, powerful images he captured during the Troubles in the North of Ireland”.

“His photographs were more than records of history; they were acts of witness, empathy, and truth.”

Mr McNaughton added: “But for the fortunate few who truly knew him, Brendan’s deepest legacy was not only in what he saw, but in how he made others feel.

“Behind that dry, mischievous humour lay a profound kindness — a quiet generosity that shaped lives as surely as his images shaped understanding.”

Noel Doran, former editor of The Irish News, said Mr Murphy’s passing is a “terrible loss” as he “was an exceptional person who will never be forgotten”.

“Brendan was an outstanding photographer, produced some of the most memorable images in Irish journalism in living memory,” he said.

“But he was more than that, he was a huge influence on everybody he worked with. His interests went well beyond photography”.

Speaking to BBC News NI about Mr Murphy’s career, Mr Doran said he “would have covered some of the worst days of violence in very graphic terms”.

“But I think some of his most memorable images were the people, some ordinary people, some famous people.”

NUJ joint president and NEC representative for Republic of Ireland Gerry Curran, who worked with Mr Murphy, said the media industry has lost “one of our finest”.

“He was a steadfast union colleague and a mentor to many young journalists,” Mr Curran said.

“His generosity, guidance, and encouragement has been recalled by many who worked with him and his work during the Northern Ireland conflict was outstanding.”