Jimmy Murray

Jimmy Murray was laid to rest on Thursday January the 25th in Gailey Cemetry on the hill overlooking Knockcroghery village, next to the football field he had graced in his prime.

So passed to his eternal reward one of the legendary heroes of Roscommon. I was proud to have known him pretty well and privileged that I was well thought of by him also. Jimmy was the touchstone of the Roscommon GAA through the decades. He was an inspiration and a constant reminder that the ultimate goals could be achieved by Roscommon. It was a nice irony that on the night of the All-Ireland Minor win the team stopped off in Knockcroghery and the team-captain David Flynn and the St. Dominick's Clubman Mark Miley took The Cup in to Jimmy symbolising the respect held and the duty owed by Roscommon football to try and emulate his deeds of over sixty years ago.

Eldest Son takes responsibility:
He was born on May 5th 1917 and so was just over three months short of his ninetieth birthday when he died. His father had established a business in the village of Knockcroghery, a village which became synonymous with Jimmy and a place he held dear. He was a member of a large family of ten, eight boys and two girls. They did well. Two brothers were doctors, two engineers, one a priest, another a shopkeeper and the last a farmer. A sister married one of the 'Garage Caseys'. In his own family there are five, three boys and two girls. Jimmy had stayed in the business with his parents and helped the younger members of the family reach their goals, a point noted by his brother, Canon Paddy, in his respectful and touching homily.

(I do not intend to try and write a long biographical piece here and now. Perhaps I will attempt to do that at another time. In any event a lot has been written in a fine Supplement in The Roscommon Herald and in The Roscommon Champion and elsewhere. Here I wish to touch on my own memories of him).

A font of knowledge:
An attribute for which people like me will be forever grateful was his willingness to take time to talk and share his knowledge and memories. I did lean heavily on him in the preparation of the GAA History of Roscommon published in 1990. When Patsy Brennan gave me the first few copies 'off the presses' in The Roscommon Herald Printing Works I immediately drove to Knockcroghery to give Jimmy the first copy. I felt he deserved it most as his help and achievements were the centre-piece of the publication. He gave it his imprimatur and I was relieved, for Jimmy was no shrinking violet and it was most important that it got his seal of approval.

'Snaps' and cuttings:
His bar was a veritable GAA museum. The walls were decorated with team photographs from every county. He had important panels of photographs of the great All-Ireland victories of '43 and '44. Since he was a non-drinker he rose early after those Finals and went to the National Newspaper offices on the Dublin Quays and collected copies of the pictures from them. These became central to those iconic collections. He added to this with his enduring 'scrapbook' which included newspaper clippings, 'snaps' and memorabilia. These he stored and transported in a traditional brown leather suitcase which acted as a humble reliquary for its rich contents.

Nights of Song:
He loved his own County, 'God's County' as I heard him refer to it once. He was one of its great ambassadors and travelled far and wide to functions representing it. It was well represented. Often when I called, and I rarely passed through 'the village' without calling, if he was not in the bar he would come from the kitchen and engage warmly in conversation. This was more often than not on football and the fortunes and prospects of Roscommon. If I had a visitor with me I would ask him to step into a photograph, 'a snap' as he called them, and he never demurred. He had great patience. Not long ago after a National League game in Tullamore I met Danny Burke and he asked if we were stopping on the way home. We agreed to meet up in Jimmy's. So Frankie Feighan, Gerry Emmett and I joined Danny and Christy Glynn there and a memorable session of song and fun ensued with Jimmy a willing participant. He had no inhibition when called on to perform. A night I remember fondly was in Wynne's Bar in Boyle when I had invited him to help us launch a 'Singers Night'. He had just recorded a fine CD of his favourite songs, recorded as he would emphasise in just 'two takes'. In Wynne's he sang many of the songs from that CD. His final song that night, as it was on so many occasions, was his rallying call 'The West's Awake' sung with a leader's passion. There were many fine singers there that night and as he left he assured me that, 'ye'll have no problem with a Singers Night'.

'The Autograph Collector':
A little over a week later I happened to be at a function in the King House with 'the great and the good' when Jimmy strode across the large open floor of the big reception room. I just shook my head at his resilience and joined him. 'Is that Matt Molloy, I'd like to get his autograph', he enthused. I did the groundwork. 'Matt, Jimmy Murray wants to say hello and he would like your autograph'. 'Indeed' responded Matt 'I would like his autograph'. So the exchange took place between two stars of Roscommon. Later Jimmy asked me to confirm the presence of John McGahern. 'I wonder would he mind'. 'I'll ask him' .I was happy in being thus employed by my hero. ' Excuse me, Mr McGahern, but Jimmy Murray would like to get your autograph'. ' Well I would be honoured and maybe I will get his' he answered and smiled. I stood back in a kind of reverential way but got my picture for the record. I wonder if this meeting reminded Mr. McGahern to include a reference to Jimmy in his fine autobiography 'Memoirs'.
So Jimmy could add another two illustrious names to the countless number who had called to his Bar down all the days. Decades ago he had begun collecting autographs, in a robust account book, of people who called to his Bar. 'Did you sign the book' he always enquired from the visitor. His first book went astray, borrowed but not returned by some vandal. The second book fell foul of the flames which engulfed the bar one night. The hanging football of '43 got singed but survived. Like Bruce of Scotland Jimmy began again and the third book is a testament to the regard in which he was held as the names straddle the country and beyond the seas.

Forever the Captain:
Jimmy's team of the forties were like a band of brothers with Jimmy always the leader. He led Roscommon in the Croke Park parade on five occasions, '43 draw and replay versus Cavan, '44 versus Kerry, '46 draw and replay versus Kerry. He captained his Club St. Patrick's to five County titles. He was a non-playing captain of a Connacht team in his later years. As members of the team passed it was Jimmy who spoke on behalf of the team. At Dr. Keenan's funeral Mass he saw John Joe Nerney arrive in the back of the church and beckoned him forward to join with his team mates of decades earlier. All those players, strong men and personalities in their own right, respected his leadership to the end. "If anyone called asking me about those years I'd send them to Jimmy" John Joe told me. At his Funeral Mass Canon Murray talked of the family man, the man who gave time to all, of a Christian man, of a good man. Canon Lavin tri gaeilge spoke of the man of courage and conviction a figure almost from the epic Gaelic tradition. Bishop Jones recalled the joy of listening with neighbours, as they crowded around the 'wet' and 'dry' battery radio, as Micheal O'Hehir painted pictures in sound of 'the men of the West led by their Captain the fair–haired Jimmy Murray'. Dermot Earley in the graveside eulogy emphasised his leadership, example and inspirational qualities.

Before his Funeral Mass I watched the great Liam Gilmartin take his place in the Church. Then the powerful Brendan Lynch joined him. 'The great man is gone' Lynch pronounced later to a reporter. Jon Joe sat discreetly nearby. The fourth survivor, Dr. Hugh Gibbons was unable to attend but was represented. The Roscommon hero of the decade and more after the forties team, Gerry O'Malley, said simply, " I'm not so much sad as lonely".
That loneliness was shared by Roscommon people in many and distant places.

However Jimmy would not want us to be downcast. So maybe it would be more appropriate to end this journey on a positive note and celebrate the long life, legacy and memory of a great Roscommon man.