Colm Murray (22 March 1952 – 30 July 2013) was an Irish broadcaster, newsreader, and

sports journalist Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

, best remembered for his reports on

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. Employed by

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

from 1978 until his death in 2013 after a three-year battle with

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

, Murray was the first sportscaster on the newly launched hour-long rolling news bulletin, the Six One News.

Early life

Born on Church Street,

Moate Moate (; ) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. The name ''An Móta'' is derived from the term motte-and-bailey, as the Normans built an example of this type of fortification here. The earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the m ...

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

where his parents ran a

petrol station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

and

newsagent A newsagent's shop or simply newsagent's or paper shop (British English), newsagency (Australian English) or newsstand (American and Canadian English) is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local ...

, Murray was the eldest of four, with three younger sisters. The youngest sister, Patricia, died from a tumour when she was six years old in 1969 and another sister, Catherine, died shortly before Colm. Murray was educated at the Convent of Mercy National School, Blessed Oliver Plunkett Boys' National School and the Carmelite College. He subsequently attended

University College Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

where he completed a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in English, French, and History. He later qualified as a secondary school teacher for

Maynooth University The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann Mhá Nuad), commonly known as Maynooth University (MU), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It ...

and spent six years teaching in

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...

, and

Ballymun Ballymun () is an outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland, at the northern edge of the Northside, the green-field development of which began in the 1960s to accommodate a housing crisis in inner city areas of Dublin. While the newly built housing was ...

Broadcasting career

In 1978, Murray responded to a newspaper advertisement seeking a

continuity announcer In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...

for state broadcaster

. His application was successful and he began his presenting career on ''Hospital Requests'' on

RTÉ Radio RTÉ Radio is a division of the Irish national broadcasting organisation Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Radio broadcasts four analogue channels and five digital channels nationwide. Founded in January 1926 as 2RN, the first broadcaster in th ...

. After six years as a continuity announcer and radio presenter, Murray joined

RTÉ News RTÉ News and Current Affairs ( ga, Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ), also known as RTÉ News (''Nuacht RTÉ''), is the national news service provided by Irish public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Its services include local, nationa ...

as a full-time newscaster, working alongside figures such as

Maurice O'Doherty Maurice O'Doherty (17 November 1932 – 5 April 1998) was an Irish broadcaster best known as a newsreader for RTÉ News from 1966 until 1983. As a contemporary of Charles Mitchel the two men made the Nine O'Clock News the most watched news ...

Charles Mitchel Charles Gerald Anthony Mitchel (8 November 1920''Dictionary of Irish Bi ...

Anne Doyle Anne Catherine Doyle (born 30 January 1952) is an Irish journalist, presenter and former newsreader. She is best known as a long-serving newsreader for RTÉ, who anchored the broadcaster's main evening television news programmes, during her 3 ...

and

Don Cockburn Donald Cockburn (13 March 1930 – 4 September 2017) was an Irish journalist, presenter and newsreader. He is best known as a long-serving newsreader for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), who anchored the broadcaster's main evening television n ...

. In 1989, he moved into the area of sports coverage where he became a sportscaster, sports reporter and sports presenter, sometimes out in the field but usually in the studio. He was the first sportscaster on the newly launched hour-long rolling news bulletin, the Six One News.

Personal life

Murray was married to his wife, Anne, until his death, with whom he had two daughters, Catherine and Patricia, both named in honour of his sisters. Murray was a cousin of RTÉ radio star Cathal Murray and uncle to

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Karen Glennon through his sister Mary.

References

External links

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RTÉ STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF COLM MURRAY
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Colm 1952 births 2013 deaths Alumni of the University of Galway Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Deaths from motor neuron disease Neurological disease deaths in the Republic of Ireland Irish schoolteachers People from Moate RTÉ newsreaders and journalists