It's testament to his legendary status as Murphy's master of meat that some of Michael McCormick's loyal customers still refer to him by the name that he traded under for more than 30 years.
As the owner of Murphy's Quality Meats on Belfast's Lisburn Road, Michael's big personality and butchering knowledge were key ingredients in making that business a huge success until his retirement in July 2016.
But the 68-year-old father-of-one is now back where he belongs, albeit in new surroundings; behind the counter of McAtamneys in Forestside. And already, the 'BT9-ers', who previously bought their prime cuts from his old shop, are starting to make the trip to McAtamneys to give the well-loved butcher their trade.
“For as long as I can remember, everyone's called me Murphy,” Michael says. “Even in the new shop, the badge I wear says 'Murphy himself'.
“I've known Oran McAtamney for years and at the start of the year, he asked me if I'd like to come and work with him as a front-man. But business has really taken off and I'm very hands-on. It's hard work; we're kept really busy but Oran's delighted as sales are 50 per cent up since I joined.
“A lot of that is down to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sales have gone through the roof because children aren't at school and the mums are having to feed them more. There was also a bit of panic buying at the start, but that's levelled off now.
“It's not just down to the pandemic, though. A lot of my old customers are showing up; some who shopped with me for 30 years and whose families have grown up and are now coming through. Many of them still think of me as Murphy. There are some who still don't know my name is McCormick after all these years.”
Michael, a past pupil of the old St Augustine's on the Ravenhill Road, wasn't academic and couldn't wait to leave school. He followed an older brother into the butchering business and in 1983 began working for David Murphy at his newly opened shop in the heart of south Belfast. But Michael, who is married to Dianne and has one daughter, Lisa, was struggling with an addiction to alcohol, which almost cost him his family and career.
“My mum used to say to me 'there's a wee want in you',” he says. “I drank to feel normal. I always felt a bit below other people so I drank to change the way I felt.
“Alcoholism is a terrible addiction. It's an illness. Back then, I would've put drink in front of everything else in my life. I was pretty much unemployable but David took a chance on me.”
When his drinking spiralled out of control, however, David had little choice but to sack him. With his life at rock bottom, Michael reached out for help and within a year, managed to turn his life around with the support of a fellowship. He hasn't had a drink since 1984 and describes himself as 'still in recovery'.
On seeing he was sober, David gave him another chance. But in a tragic twist of fate, David went missing while scuba diving on holidays in the West Indies and was later declared dead. David's widow Wendy let Michael take over the lease of the shop and it continued to grow and prosper, attracting well-known customers including the poet Michael Longley, broadcasters Eamonn Holmes and Wendy Austin, Ulster rugby stars and leading lights in law and medicine.
As Murphy's flourished, so too did the reputation of the man at its helm.
In 2016, at the age of 65, Michael decided to retire and sold the business to the butchery chain Corries. Just as he was settling into retirement, though, he discovered, quite by accident, that he had prostate cancer. With no pain or symptoms, except frequent night-time visits to the bathroom, he had no idea he was ill until routine blood tests carried out by his doctor showed up the cancer.
In January 2017 Michael started a treatment plan of radiotherapy and hormone treatment, which produced good results. At around the same time, he also sold a smaller shop in Lisburn, near where he lived with Dianne.
Feeling like he'd been granted another chance, Michael picked up his apron again and this time took a counter in a Spar store in east Belfast. But then Oran McAtamney came to him and offered him the chance to come and work in his Forestside shop. Michael joined the team not long before lockdown. In the same month, Corries closed its Lisburn Road shop.
“I was a bit nervous to begin with; those first few weeks of lockdown,” he says. “After coming through cancer, my immune system's not great. But I'm doing well and enjoying it, even if we haven't stopped.
“I'm just grateful to be healthy again and to be honest, retirement wasn't all it's cracked up to be.”
Last month Michael and Dianne became grandparents for the first time when Lisa and her wife of a year, Dr Nafissa Hawa, had a baby girl, Amira. The proud grandparents are planning to travel to Manchester by ferry next month to meet Amira for the first time.
“They were married last year in Las Vegas and wanted to have a baby together, so they had the treatment and Lisa gave birth in May,” says Michael.
“They also have a wee dog called Gibson. I'd better mention him because he's part of their family too. We can't wait to see them all. It's something lovely to look forward to.”
In the meantime, Michael hopes to lure even more of his former customers to McAtamneys, where they can be served all things meat by 'Murphy himself'.
“I was seeing a urologist in the City Hospital and he looked confused when he was reading my notes,” Michael chuckles.
“He said 'it says here that your name is McCormick. But it's Murphy. I've been shopping with you for years'. He was pretty surprised when I told him.
“It's a name that has stuck and if that's how people know me, that's absolutely fine. I'll always be grateful to Murphy's and hopefully now that customers know I am here, they'll come and support me at McAtamneys too.”
