EAMON MURRAY

A record breaker from Avoca

The first day I saw him, twas his first day at school,

his red hair shining brightly, so calm and so cool.

An occasional smile as he glanced at us all,

Then his eyes flashed a warning when he spotted a ball.

We learned reading and writing and fighting of course,

To survive in our school sometimes needed force.

We played football and hurling every day, wet or fine,

Sometimes with a ball, sometimes rags and twine.

Before he was ten he was on the school team,

Played Minor in goal at the age of thirteen.

The day we remember is every lad’s dream,

Made his Senior debut at the age of thirteen.

With a shirt far too big there wasn’t a doubt,

Short pants for a togs was how he lined out.

“Take that child off the pitch,” said the ref with a scold.

“Don’t you dare,” said Mike Cullen, “he’s minding our goal”.

Each game played and lost; that’s the way it was then,

To win just a medal, God only knew when.

Back to Junior and Minor, the results still the same,

In his seventeenth year his first Junior came. 1953 was Avoca’s great year, Won the Senior one out, the only one we now fear. 1954 he led Wicklow straight on, To win out in Leinster, the first time it was done.

Now the bright city lights beckoned Eamon right o’er,

With the Pearses and London he won medals galore.

He took part in a movie that’s still going round,

For a while we all thought he was Hollywood bound.

But Eamon remained, he played on every year,

Refereed many games, no favours, no fear.

He knows what it’s like, the boos and the cheers,

For Murray’s been playing for 60 long years.