Brian Murray (born 6 September 1984 in
Patrickswell
Patrickswell, historically known as Toberpatrick (), is a small town in County Limerick, Ireland. It is primarily a commuter village for people working in Limerick, including the nearby industrial suburb of Raheen. The population was 848 at th ...
,
County Limerick
County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays
hurling
Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...
with his local club
Patrickswell
Patrickswell, historically known as Toberpatrick (), is a small town in County Limerick, Ireland. It is primarily a commuter village for people working in Limerick, including the nearby industrial suburb of Raheen. The population was 848 at th ...
and was a member of the
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
senior inter-county team from 2006 until 2009.
Playing career
Club
Murray plays his club hurling with the famous
Patrickswell
Patrickswell, historically known as Toberpatrick (), is a small town in County Limerick, Ireland. It is primarily a commuter village for people working in Limerick, including the nearby industrial suburb of Raheen. The population was 848 at th ...
club just outside Limerick city. He was born into a family that had a strong association with hurling. His father,
Terence Murray, was also a member of the Patrickswell club and refereed the 1987 and 1993 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship finals between
Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
and
Kilkenny
Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
. After enjoying little success as minor or under-21 levels he subsequently joined the club's senior team. After beginning as an outfield player Murray was later chosen as goalkeeper on the team and has remained in that position since 2005. He played in his first senior
county final in 2006, however, victory went to
Bruree
Bruree () is a village in south-eastern County Limerick, Ireland, on the River Maigue. It takes its name from the nearby ancient royal fortress, the alternative name of which from the earliest times into the High Middle Ages was ''Dún Eochair ...
on that occasion.
Inter-county
Murray first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
senior inter-county team in 2005. He lined out in a challenge game against
Tipperary in late 2005, a game which Limerick won with Murray keeping a clean sheet as goalkeeper. He impressed in that game and made his competitive debut against the same opposition in a
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
game in early 2006. Murray remained as the first-choice goalkeeper for all but one game of the National League. The team remained unbeaten and qualified for the final against Kilkenny. It was an unhappy day for Limerick as 'the Cats' won the day by 3–11 0–14. Murray's performances were so impressive that he edged out
Timmy Houlihan as the regular Limerick goalkeeper for the championship. He made his debut in the
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
championship against Tipperary, however, Limerick's championship losing streak continued and they were defeated. After moving successfully through the qualifier system Murray's side later played defending champions
Cork
"Cork" or "CORK" may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
*** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine
Places Ireland
* ...
in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Although the team only lost by a point it was a game that Limerick could easily have won.
In 2007 Limerick faced near neighbours Tipperary in the semi-final of the Munster championship. That game ended in a draw with both sides scoring 1–19. The replay saw Limerick in arrears by ten points at half-time, however, Murray's side rallied to level the game at the end of normal time. A period of extra time failed to separate the sides and a score line of 1–24 to 2–21 resulted in a second replay. Once again, Limerick looked vulnerable at times during the game, however, they grinded out a victory with a score line of 0–22 to 2–13. It was Limerick's first win in the Munster championship since 2001. Murray later lined out against
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
in the Munster final, however, they were defeated on a score line of 3–17 to 1–14. These two sides later met again in the All-Ireland semi-final, however, manager
Richie Bennis
Richard "Richie" Bennis (born 1945) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Limerick senior team.
Born in Patrickswell, County Limerick, Bennis first played competitive hurling during his schooling at CBS Sexton Stree ...
had done his homework and masterminded a surprise 5–11 to 2–15 victory over the Munster champions. This victory allowed Murray's side to play Kilkenny in the championship decider. Unfortunately, Limerick got off to a bad start with Murray letting in two goals by
Eddie Brennan
Edward Joseph Brennan (born 2 October 1978) is an Irish hurling manager and former player. His league and championship career with the Kilkenny senior team lasted twelve seasons from 2000 until 2011. Brennan was the manager of the Laois senio ...
and
Henry Shefflin
Henry Shefflin (born 11 January 1979) is an Irish hurling List of hurling managers, manager and former player who was the manager of the Galway senior hurling team from 2021 to 2024. In his playing career he was nicknamed "King Henry" because o ...
in the first ten minutes. Limerick fought back, however, 'the Cats', however, went on to win the game by six points. In spite of this loss Murray was later presented with his first
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
award, marking him out as the best goalkeeper in the championship.
After the highs of the previous year, 2008 proved to be a difficult year for the Limerick hurlers. The team were trounced by 4–12 to 1–16 in opening game of the championship by
Clare Clare may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land
Australia
* Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley
* Clare Valley, South Australia
Canada
* Clare (electoral district), an electoral district
* Cl ...
. The newly structured qualifier system pitted Murray's side against
Offaly
County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...
in a must-win game. Limerick, however, were out of sorts as Murray left in three goals leading to a 3–19 to 0–18 defeat. Limerick's involvement in the championship came to an end following this trouncing.
In 2009
Justin McCarthy took over as Limerick manager. After a poor showing in the National League, Limerick's first championship assignment was a Munster semi-final showdown with Waterford. That game, described by many pundits as the worst game in the history of the provincial championship, ended in a draw. The replay was a big improvement, however, Murray ended up on the losing side by 0–25 to 0–17. Limerick later manoeuvred through the qualifiers, narrowly defeating
Wexford
Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
,
Laois
County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...
and
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. It was the first time that Limerick secured three championship victories in-a-row since 1996. In the game against 'the Dubs' Murray was brought all the way up the field to convert a penalty. A four-point victory allowed Limerick to advance to the All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary.
Inter-provincial
Murray has also lined out with
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
in the
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
inter-provincial competition. He captured a winners medal in this competition in 2007 as Munster defeated
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
.
Honours
Patrickswell
*
Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
The Limerick Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bon Secours Hospital County Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Limerick SHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Limerick County Board ...
:
**Winner (4): 2000, 2003, 2016, 2019
**Runner-up (2): 2006, 2015
Limerick
*
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest-tier competition for ...
:
**Winner (0):
**Runner-up (1): 2007
*
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...
:
**Winner (0):
**Runner-up (1): 2007
*
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
:
**Winner (0):
**Runner-up (1): 2006
Munster
*
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
:
**Winner (1): 2007
References
Teams
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Brian
1984 births
Living people
Patrickswell hurlers
Limerick inter-county hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers
Hurling goalkeepers
21st-century Irish sportsmen