Let us now praise famous women: for the last two decades Monica Murphy has been one of the key players in the world of Irish wine. Working with the family firm, Febvre, she has been a tireless advocate of good wines, and good companionability. Nearing 70, she has decided to set aside the ISO glasses and take it a little bit easier.
Wine lovers know Ms Murphy, but you need to be of a certain vintage to recall the role Ms Murphy played in Irish food back in the 1980's. Back then, she opened The Cheeseboard, in the new Westbury Mall. Her shop was unprecedented, and unparalleled. For the first time ever, the farmhouses cheeses of the nascent Irish artisan cheese industry were gathered together, shown proper respect, sold with diligence and care. Nobody had done this before in the capital, and it would take the Sheridan brothers in the mid-1990's to do something similar. The Cheeseboard was, in retrospect, a tabernacle of good things, a place of affinage and affability.
The French, on the occasion of Ms Murphy's retirement, would haul out the Legion d'Honneur, at least. If Michael D. wants a few suggestions for what would be appropriate for Monica, he has our number...
John McKenna
