Maura Murphy who opened the hairdressers on the Main Street in the 60s sadly passed away earlier this month
Maura (97) ran La Beauté on Main Street for over two decades
Tallaght paid tribute to a “perfectionist” hairdresser who ran a successful business on Main Street across two decades.
97-year-old Maura Murphy passed away on Saturday, May 2 at Araglen Nursing Home in Kerry, having retired from her profession and moved closer to home.
Maura was born and raised in Kerry but made the move to South Dublin when she opened up La Beauté on Main Street in the 60s, following her sister up to Tallaght, where she offered her customers everything from a dry cut to a blow-dry, perms and more.
During this time, she lived by Templeogue Village and her family in Dublin often availed of their talented relation’s ability to cut their hair.
One such member of family is Tallaght local Sinead Tighe, the great-niece of Maura who got her first perm from her auntie.
Sinead said: “Because it was family, that’s where we had to go get our hair cut, that was a rule.
“She loved all our family coming to her and she’d frown upon us if we got our hair done anywhere else.”
Maura kept her business open for around two decades and was one of the first hairdressers in the village, before making the decision to retire and later returning to Kerry.
She was described as a “shrewd businesswoman” who was very community-oriented and looked after her customers in Tallaght well, who could not always afford to get their hair done.
“She used to do what was known as a brush-up. So, she’d go in and she’d just dampen your hair, and she’d blow-dry it up again, if the person wasn’t able to afford to get it washed, cut and blow-dried.
“She always loved keeping women in good style and their hair in good style, and that was her big thing.”
The former Templeogue resident was a very stylish person and family visits often meant that the visitors dressed to their best abilities.
Sinead noted similarities between her great-aunt and the business she operated on Main Street for more than 20 years.
“It kind of depicted Maura herself. She was a perfectionist. She dressed very well and you’d never ever see her without her makeup or her hair done…for the time she was really well turned out.”
