Paddy Murray (journalist)
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2022) |
Paddy Murray | |
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Died | 24 February 2022 |
Patrick Thomas Murray (5 August 1953 – 24 February 2022) was an Irish journalist and writer. He wrote for the
Education
Born in Dublin, County Dublin, Leinster, Ireland, he was educated at Blackrock College. Murray spent a year attending University College Dublin (UCD). While there he wrote and performed comedy sketch shows as part of a three-man comedy group, The Machine. His partners in The Machine were Brendan Martin and Billy McGrath. While the trio were writing and rehearsing sketches for a forthcoming show, another student knocked on their door to offer a sketch he had written. The student's name was Dermot Morgan, who later found fame as the titular character in the television series Father Ted. Murray and Martin were instrumental in giving Morgan his break on television when they introduced him to the producer and writing team of RTÉ comedy series The Live Mike.
Career
After leaving UCD, Murray studied journalism at the College of Commerce in
Murray's comedy writing credits included:
He was also President of Terenure Sports Club, a multi sports facility in the Dublin suburb.
Murray wrote a regular column in the Dublin paper, the Sunday World until May 2019 when he was told that, due to cutbacks, his column was being dropped, ending 46 years of writing for newspapers in the Independent Group. The last column appeared on 5 May 2019.
He edited the Blackrock College 150th anniversary book Fearless and Bold, published in November 2009.
In 2016, he was named Popular Columnist of the Year in the annual
From March 2020, he wrote for the Irish Times about Covid 19 and his own health difficulties, and a blog, "The World According to Paddy". In 2021 he published a memoir And finally: A Journalist’s life in 250 stories recalling his career in journalism.[2]
Personal life
Murray was married to Connie, who was Ireland's first female sports editor when she was appointed to that role in the Irish Daily Star in the 1990s, and they had one daughter, Charlotte. He died on 24 February 2022, at the age of 68.[3]
References
- ^ "Murray steps up to take editor's chair at Tribune" – Press Gazette Archived 17 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "StackPath". theliffeypress.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Death of veteran journalist Paddy Murray". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 December 2023.