Murphy is Irish and poor. Even by the standards of the poorest of the poor in Ireland, Murphy is poor.

Set sometime between the first and second World Wars, somewhere in Ireland and sometimes everywhere else besides -- at one point Murphy is kidnapped by Irish aliens who take him in a spaceship to see St Patrick choose his National Lottery numbers -- Murphy's story serves only to prove that the luck of the Irish is not bestowed upon all the sons of the nation.

Unable to hold down his job on a building site he turns to robbery but is discovered trapped inside a suit of armour, almost drowns when he falls down a wishing well and catches a particularly revolting form of bronchitis whilst on religious retreat in a particularly revolting form of monastery. As you would expect, The Murphy is rude, irreverent and hugely funny. Classic, timeless Milligan.