O'Driscoll is joined on the absentee list by scrum-half Peter Stringer, who misses the match because of a hand injury sustained in last weekend's 19-9 defeat of Wales in Cardiff.
With Stringer absent at No.9, Isaac Boss will make his first RBS 6 Nations championship start in his place, with Eoin Reddan his back-up on the bench, while Andrew Trimble takes Murphy's spot among the replacements.
Ireland (vs France, Croke Park, Sunday, February 11, kick-off 3pm)
15 - Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster) 70 caps
14 - Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers) 44
13 - Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster) 27
12 - Shane Horgan (Lansdowne/Leinster) 51
11 - Denis Hickie (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 54
10 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster) 67
9 - Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster) 5
1 - Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster) 43
2 - Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 8
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster) 69
4 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 31
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) 40 (capt)
6 - Simon Easterby (Llanelli Scarlets) 53
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster) 33
8 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster) 18
Replacements
16 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster) 10
17 - Simon Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 13
18 - Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster) 5
19 - Neil Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 7
20 - Eoin Reddan (London Wasps) 1
21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster) 2
22 - Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster) 11
