DONEGAL piper Christy Murray fully expects to be swirling the pipes again and urging Donegal on to victory on their next visit to Croke Park.
The Raphoe man was only allowed to enter the stadium with his bagpipes ahead of last Saturday’s league match against Dublin after a commitment was received that they would not be played in the stand during the matches.
“It’s all a big misunderstanding but I just wish that they handled the matter better,” he said this week.
“I always leave the pipes under my seat during games. I only ever play in the concourse or, in some grounds, inside the wire before matches start,” he added.
Kitted out in a uniform in Donegal colours from a famous uniform-seller in Cullybacky, Christy has been cheering up supporters at games for more than twenty years. Ironically, it was the sight of a forlorn piper from the capital trudging his way out from a single-point defeat by Donegal in Ballyshannon in the late 1990s that gave him the idea of bringing his pipes to a game.
“We lost by a point to them on Saturday night so there’s a certain symmetry there alright,” he laughed.
On match days Christy arrives at the venue early and go around some of the pubs to get the fans stirred up. An hour before the game he’ll go around the perimeter of the pitch and with about a half an hour to go he’ll make his way into the stands and walk up and down the concourse before taking his seat.
When the match is on the pipes usually go under the seat, but when half-time arrives they are back out again.
“I’m heading towards sixty years of age and I’m not trying to upset anyone. We always have great craic and it’s not just with the Donegal supporters. I was disappointed with what happened last weekend,” he said.
Julianne Savage is Community & Public Affairs officer at Croke Park. She said that Mr Murray was not refused access last Saturday evening.
“However, in accordance with the stadium’s ground regulations (part 6.9 excessive noise), the patron was advised that it would not be possible to play his bagpipes within the Hogan Stand seated area, where his tickets were for, as it might interfere with the enjoyment or comfort for many other supporters that were seated in close proximity to the patron.
“This decision was made giving particular consideration to the overall match day experience for supporters from all three counties in attendance in the stadium on Saturday night and seated throughout the stand.
“The patron entered the stadium with his bagpipes, after a commitment was received that they would not be played in the stand during the matches,” Ms Savage said.
In reply, Christy said that it was the first time in over twenty years that he had been stopped playing the pipes at a football ground.
“I fully understand that there are regulations and I wouldn’t want to be sitting beside someone playing the pipes into my ear but this came out of the blue. It’s just a pity that the news wasn’t relayed to me in a proper manner,” he said.
Does that mean Christy will be back out entertaining the crowds the next time Donegal play at Croke Park?
“Absolutely and the way Declan Bonner’s men are playing they could be there more than once this summer,” he said.
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