BY DÁIRE BONNAR
Christy Murray has had names from ‘the noisy Donegal piper’ to ‘that eejit from the TV’, but in the North West he’s affectionately known as the Donegal piper.
An idea turned to a hobby and unexpectedly has become a recurring memory on game day for Donegal match goers for the last quarter a century.
A noise as commonly heard as ‘hats, flags and headbands’ that will let you know that you’re closing in on St Tiernach’s Park, the pipes of Raphoe man Murray are never going to be far behind along with the cries of ‘UP DONEGAL’.
“It was never supposed to turn out this way, it was all fun at the start and then it turned to a bit more that I was almost meant to be going to games,” Murray said on his role at Donegal matches.
Murray admits it can almost be like a job now to help bring the atmosphere but it’s a nice one and his love for going to games makes it much easier to make the effort.
“I was always a piper and I was at a match in 1999 or 2000 and I saw a someone in the crowd piping for the Dublin team.
“He had no uniform and his piping was a bit iffy so I thought ‘maybe I can do a better job’.”
It was this weekend’s opponents where Murray decided to try it out for the first time, playing along Jones’ Road as Donegal took on Armagh in the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final.
The result wasn’t the outcome Donegal gaels were hoping for as they were beaten 2-10 to 1-9 against the Orchard County in Croke Park, but that day saw the birth of the Donegal Piper which has snowballed since.
Meetings with Armagh were common at the time and unfortunately for Donegal, they were never on the right side of it.
“It was something else, even though one of the games we got slaughtered, the craic we had with Armagh supporters was great and I got hooked on it right away.
“It was a massive day for us on the pitch but we were taught a lesson that day (in the semi-final).
“I decided after that to get a uniform, I only had a scarf on my head at that time so I bought a uniform and then you were easily noticed.
“I wasn’t called the Donegal piper back then, it was the Dubs who called me ‘the noisy Donegal piper’ and it became a bit of a brand.
“Nothing was ever planned but it grew on from then.”
There have been times when not everything has went smoothly, including a 45 minute standoff outside of Croke Park as security was tightened but eventually the problem was solved.
Told he would never play at Croke Park again, eventually all was resolved, while he also got a telling off in the Ulster Championship last year in Celtic Park.
But most of the time it’s all positive and a great day out for himself and family, getting to meet people from all over Donegal and other counties.
“When I go to the games I usually go a couple hours before the game and go around the town and chat to people from both camps.
“I was in Ballybofey one day and was a video of me outside the Villa Rose with about 40 Armagh fans and they were singing ‘Boys from the County Armagh’ while I was piping and I was the only Donegal man there but they were all loving it and chatting away to me.
“Last month I was outside the Creighton Hotel in Clones for the semi-final against Down and there were a few Down fans and I heard them say ‘there’s that eejit you see on the TV’ and we shook hands and started chatting.”
Saturday will be a busy morning and day for Murray, as he hopes to get down before the ladies game, but there are prior commitments first as it’s a busy day in the county.
Having retired in November of 2024 from teaching music, he has kept himself busy between a little bit of everything.
He gets the odd shout for weddings and also piped at nine finals in the county last year, and it could be more if his schedule wasn’t so packed.
“I’m in charge of the Raphoe choir in the St Eunan’s Chapel and we’re doing a communion at 11 o’clock on Saturday.
“The uniform will be going on during the communion and I’ll be out the door and on my way to Clones.
“The priest knows that routine but it will be a tight for time because I want to get down for the both games.”
Murray has a great respect for Saturday’s opposition and will mingle with the fans on either side prior to throw-in for the first game.
Ulster finals have become almost an expectation for those of a younger generation and this Saturday will be Donegal’s 15th decider since the turn of the century.
But the Anglo-Celt Cup is never won easy and Murray expects it to be a close battle once again.
“Ulster final day, there is always a nervous positive energy and you can even look at last year’s results and how there was only one point separating Donegal and Armagh over three games.
“This year Donegal are on a high but the last two games might put a bit of question marks on that, maybe they’re hiding something.
“Ulster is brilliant in that there are probably five or six teams who feel they could be going to Clones on Saturday and that’s what makes it great.
“Both counties are going into the game with pride, we’re Ulster champions and Armagh are All-Ireland champions and I say fair play and well done to them.
“But I genuinely hope it’s a good game, obviously you want to win and people might think I’m only saying it but if Armagh win I hope it’s at least a good game.
“I have a great respect for Armagh but I love Donegal.”
And that younger generation have gotten used to seeing Murray playing the pipes before the matches, so much so that he is now having to find new ways of playing as his popularity increases.
“You’re doing it for the county but now the children are wanting signatures like the players, my sister says don’t be giving him a big head!’
“I’m trying to learn tunes on one hand and keeping the other hand for high fives!
“But there is a whole new generation that have never known
“And it’s all become part of it in seeing the piper and high fiving.
“I just want to do my bit, if there’s a band playing at half-time then I’ll not interfere with that. When I started doing this it was because nothing was happening in the league and I wanted to try and bring some entertainment to the game.”
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