Tributes paid to man who captured the Troubles

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

Brendan Murphy, who died on the age of 84, educated and mentored photographers and reporters all through the years.

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

Tributes have been paid to the gifted image editor by former work colleagues, college students and mates.

His ebook “Eyewitness: Four Decades of Northern Life” was revealed in 2003, and is a private pictorial file of Northern Ireland life over practically forty years.

Former BBC Newsline assistant editor Seamus Kelters, who died at the age of 54 in 2017, supplied the textual content for the ebook.

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

Photographer Cathal McNaughton mentioned 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 mentioned Mr Murphy will likely 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 formed lives as certainly as his pictures formed understanding.”

Noel Doran, former editor of The Irish News, said Mr Murphy’s passing is a “horrible loss” as he “was an distinctive one who won’t ever be forgotten”.

“Brendan was an impressive photographer, produced a number of the most memorable pictures in Irish journalism in residing reminiscence,” he mentioned.

“But he was greater than that, he was an enormous affect on everyone he labored with. His pursuits went nicely past pictures”.

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

“But I believe a few of his most memorable pictures had been the individuals, some peculiar individuals, some well-known individuals.”

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

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

“His generosity, steerage, and encouragement has been recalled by many who labored with him and his work throughout the Northern Ireland battle was excellent.”