Born and raised in Wolverhampton, England,
Peter Murphy is much influenced by his Irish heritage. His mother
comes from Cahirciveen on the Ring of Kerry, and his father is from
Killala Bay, Co. Mayo. As a boy he spent many holidays in Co. Kerry
hearing the traditional music and poetry of relatives and friends.
At
the age of 15, he began classical guitar lessons with Michael Raven, a hobby which
developed into playing at weddings.
Music took a back seat after Peter joined
a leading firm of City accountants and then the taxation department
of a UK merchant bank When he was offered the position of company
accountant for a London-based civil engineering firm, his longing
for playing music returned.
In 1989 he launched his career in music and began harp lessons
with Keith Bray, a multi-instrumentalist. Since then he has dedicated
himself to playing the celtic harp, playing regularly at weddings,
functions and corporate events in London
and the South East.
In May 2003 he released his first solo harp CD recording titled
"Just Harp."
As a result of fundraising activities in aid of The Children's
Trust during December 2003, he was appointed to play for Queen Anne-Marie
of Greece.
Peter was featured in a new series of the South
Bank Show on ITV 1 in August 2004.
"I suppose I really wanted to be a musician at the age of
15 when I started having guitar lessons. I wanted to go and live
in Granada and learn flamenco from the gypsies, but my father said
it would be best to study for my A levels and train for one of the
professions."
Peter Murphy, "From accountancy to music of angels,"
Bon Journal ezine "Career change and second passions",
15 July 2004
"Peter here talks about how a love of music became the door
to a new world."
Interview with Paul Goodwin at Moved by Music, Planetary
Voice Radio, 2004
"...when he starts talking about the bought ledgers of his
past, you do start to drift off. Fortunately though, he is an excellent
harpist."
Imogen Ridgway, London Evening Standard 20th August 2004
"His name is Peter Murphy and he used to be a City accountant
with a company car, pension scheme and a career mapped out for life.
But 15 years ago he quit the rat race to live his dream of being
a musician..."
Andrew Viner, "Why
I love ... ... the harpist at Green Park tube station,"
The Guardian, 8 February 2005
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