RTÉ broadcaster Colm Murray has died following a long illness. He was 61.
Colm, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease three years ago, is survived by his wife, Anne, daughters Kate and Patricia and his sister, Mary. His sister Cathy passed away earlier this year.
Colm was a regular visitor to County Donegal, particularly to Ardara, and was often seen playing the golf courses of the county.
He was a familiar face in particular at the Nesbitt Arms Hotel.
From Moate, Co Westmeath, Colm Murray was a teacher before joining RTÉ as a continuity announcer.
He graduated from University College Galway in 1972 with a BA degree in French, English and History. For the next three years he taught at secondary schools in Athlone and Tullamore, having completed his Higher Diploma in Education at Maynooth.
In 1975 he moved to Dublin where he taught French, English and History in Ballymun Comprehensive School.
In October 1978, Colm changed career direction and moved to RTÉ Radio, where he took up a post as continuity announcer.
Having presented various programmes, including the long-running ‘Hospitals’ Requests’, he became a newscaster in 1983.
In 1988, when RTÉ introduced its hour-long Six One News format, he moved into sports broadcasting as a sports presenter and a founding member of the sports news unit on the Six One News.
Colm, together with his late friend Vere Wynne Jones, pioneered sports coverage for RTÉ and remained an integral part of the unit until illness forced him to stand aside in 2012.
In the course of his sports broadcasting career, he covered a large number of national and international events, including the Cheltenham Festival since 1990 and the Olympics and Paralympics in Sydney, Athens, and Beijing.
In 2000, he was presented with the ESB Media Award as Sports Broadcaster of the Year for his coverage of the Irish team and their participation in the Sydney Paralympics. However, he regarded his assignment with Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland team at the 1990 World Cup in Italy as the highlight of his sports broadcasting career.
In March 2010 Colm was diagnosed with motor neuron disease.
He continued to work in the RTÉ newsroom and embarked on a series of in-depth radio profiles of luminaries such as Alex Ferguson, Brian O’Driscoll and Johnny Murtagh. His journalistic professionalism and desire to assist others also saw him embark on an RTÉ documentary to highlight MND and assist in developing treatment for those diagnosed.
Such was the impact of the programme and his tireless efforts on behalf of those with MND, that Colm was further honoured by receiving a People of the Year award in September 2012 in recognition of his efforts to further medical research into the debilitating disease.
NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley paid tribute to “a remarkable figure in Irish journalism”.
“In a profession characterised by professional rivalry and jealousy Colm had no enemies.
“He was admired for his wit, his humour and his generosity of spirit. His stoical acceptance of his illness has served as a powerful inspiration and it is a cruel irony that someone who loved life with such passion should have been struck with such a debilitating illness.”