Letterkenny Municipal Council has proposed to name the town’s main Four Lane Road between the Polestar Roundabout and the Dry Arch Roundabout after local businessman Tommy Murphy.
Mr Murphy, who has raised his family and still lives on the road at at Drumnahoe, runs the very successful Murphy Plant and Scaffolding Hire.
The motion naming the road after Mr Murphy was proposed at the latest meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal Authority by Councillor Donal Coyle and seconded by Councillor Liam Blaney.
Councillor Coyle said that such roads are normally named after politicians, bishops or priests.
But he said he had great pleasure in proposing the name of Tommy Murphy who has lived in the area for decades with his wife Kathleen and family.
He said that while Mr Murphy trained as a plumber and taught many to become plumbers, he moved into the area of plant hire.
He added that he doubted if there was a contractor locally who had not rented machinery from Murphy Plant Hire including Donegal County Council.
Councillor Coyle said he recently spoke to Mr Murphy and they chatted about how he simply could not guess how many times he had crossed the road on which the works are now being carried out.
He added that Tommy welcomed the works on the road now being carried out and is looking forward to how safe the road will be once these works are completed.
Council spokesman Seamus Canning said he would make an application to Transport Infrastructure Ireland to clarify if the road already has a name and if it may require a name change.
Councillor Coyle said he only remembered the road every being called two things, the Derry Road and the Four Lane Road.
