Weekend of festivities will honour one of the county’s greats

Excitement is building ahead of the official unveiling at the end of the month of a statue, honouring one of the county’s most successful and best loved sporting heroes.

James ‘Jamesie’ Murray, who passed away in January 2007, was captain of the Roscommon senior football teams crowned All-Ireland senior football champions in 1943 and 1944.

Last Friday night, members of the Jimmy Murray Memorial Committee outlined the weekend of events to honour the late James Murray. These will be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 30th and December 1st, in his native Knockcroghery, culminating in the official unveiling of the memorial statue by GAA President Jarlath Burns.

The programme of events was launched in Murray’s Bar, Knockcroghery for the special weekend of celebration.

The weekend will be full of song, reflection and celebration to honour one of Roscommon’s finest sons. As part of the festivities, representatives from the 32 clubs in Roscommon will join members of the famous Artane Band as they parade to the Village Green in advance of the unveiling ceremony. It will also feature on historical talks on the ’43-’44 team and the locality during the era.

The centrepiece of the weekend will be the statue unveiling on the afternoon of Sunday, December 1st by GAA President Jarlath Burns. The statue was carved by local sculptor Mark Feeley from a four tonne block of limestone, which was obtained from Lecarrow, and it will stand proudly on the Village Green in Knockcroghery.

Welcoming people to the launch, Mr Matt Rogers, the MC for the evening, on behalf of the family and the committee said that it was “a particularly proud and poignant moment for the Murray family. And it is particularly fitting that the monument itself is going to be set in the village green, the place that Jamesie was particularly proud of, it’s where he kicked his first football. And he always encouraged us as young people, to make sure that we availed of it,” Mr Rogers said.

“Jamesie loved all sports and encouraged young people to become involved in sports, and we were very fortunate to have him as a mentor growing up.

“We always knew Jamesie was something special, but we never truly knew how appreciated he was throughout the country amongst his peers and fellow players,” said Mr Rogers.

Mr Rogers spoke about the support the committee had received from the local community and the Roscommon diaspora all over the world. “It has been absolutely phenomenal,” he said. He also thanked the owners of Lecarrow Quarry for their “very generous and magnanimous contribution” and the phenomenal talents of sculptor Mark Feeley.

Memorial committee chairman Thomas Murray thanked everyone for attending as well as the project’s many generous supporters, including the Lecarrow Vintage Club, local public representatives and Roscommon County Council. He said that Jamesie was much more than the captain of the Roscommon Football Team, “he was the local businessman, he was the village stalwart, he was a family man, he was a great friend to so many people, he was all those things”.

He outlined that many different ideas were discussed about how to honour him since his passing. However, during the centenary commemorations of the burning of Knockcroghery in 2021, it inspired people to set plans in motion to honour the village’s most famous sportsman.

Speaking about Mark Feeley, Mr Murrary praised the sculptor for his fantastic enthusiasm and thanked him for his “hours and hours of work” on this special project.

He added that the limestone block, used for the statue, had never left the parish. “I don’t think there are too many monuments around the country that have started and finished in their home parish”. He also expressed his sincere gratitude to the owners of the green, which is under the trusteeship of the Church of Ireland, for their invaluable support during the planning process.

He urged as many people as possible to be part of the festivities.

Local historian Tony Conboy, who was praised for his help by the committee, spoke on the legacy of the great Roscommon football team, which Jamesie captained. As well as a great footballer, he was “the weld that made this band of brothers a special group, he was a gentleman, and he was a great ambassador for his county, “Tony said.

Sculptor Mark Feeley thanked the Murray family for their support, saying the love they had for Jamesie gave him extra enthusiasm to do his best.

He explained that Jamesie was known for his anticipation as a football player and this aspect of him is captured in the statue. “He is catching the ball and already knows where it is going, like a general on the battlefield he is commanding the whole thing. I think it works,” Mark said.

Jimmy’s son, John, was given a round of applause as he spoke at the launch. He expressed his thanks to the committee for its hard work, and his admiration for Mark’s work.

Concluding the night, songwriter Johnny Johnson, who was a great friend of Jamesie, gave a rendition of his song ‘An Ode to Jimmy Murray’.