Maureen O’Hara’s PA Carolyn Murphy hits back at O’Hara family over accusations

‘They have annihilated my name...I would never harm Maureen’ she angrily claims

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Carolyn Murphy and Maureen O`Hara at a recent function at the Eccles Hotel, Glengariff, West Cork, . Picture: Niall Duffy

Photo by Niall Duffy c/o West Cork Times

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Maureen O’Hara’s former long time friend and power-of-attorney lawyer Carolyn Murphy has hit back at the the O’Hara family and advisors. She did so following accusations of mishandling of business and elder abuse. Murphy maintains her innocence and dedication to O’Hara, and says she has the paperwork to back it all up.

"They have annihilated my name in this community," Murphy said. "I am just not capable of this kind of thing. I can tell you with all my heart and soul, I have not done anything wrong. I would never hurt Maureen.

Recently, in hopes of “setting the record straight,” aging actress O’Hara called a press conference at the Eccles Hotel in Glengarrif. There, she delivered a prepared statement in which she demanded that Murphy turn over all financial records to her accountant.

O’Hara said she recently made “discoveries” which caused “great concern” about Murphy that led the actress to revoke Murphy’s power of attorney.

O’Hara said that she was "damned upset" over the whole situation.

Murphy had no warning of the O’Hara statement, and issued her own short statement through a spokesperson in response.

However, she was so stung by the accusations—which have yet to be officially defined, but are damaging enough to her name and reputation—that she decided offer her own statement on the matter from her home on the outskirts of Bantry. Accompanying her were her son Brendan and husband Bill.

Murphy traced her longstanding relationship with actress Maureen O’Hara back to 1978. The two met at a local environmental awareness project in Bantry that year, and the two “just clicked” according to Murphy. It was just after O’Hara’s husband had died and the actress was sharing her time between America and Glengarriff.

"We just had an affinity to one another,” said Murphy. “I wasn't star struck. She didn't know who I was. But, you know, you just look someone in the eyes—and we just clicked.”

Murphy detailed how despite busy schedules and bustling families, the two always found time for each other from then onward: "She'd always come in June and go home before October. She'd always have family around her and I had a lot of children too. We were very busy but we'd always manage to have a lunch together or a dinner together and just talk about real-life things, not movies, or anything. We were just friends.”

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