By Dionne Meehan
AFTER 43 years of teaching music Christy Murray, aka the Donegal piper, has retired.
Moving to the county from Scotland when he was just six-years-old, Christy grew up in Raphoe where he first got the taste for music.
“There were two pipe bands here,” Christy said.
“I used to deliver the papers, sit outside the halls and listen in.
“I started learning the whistle first of all and then I joined a pipe band when I was 13-years-old.
“It grew in layers after that.”
At the young age of 19-years-old, Christy was approached and asked to form a band.
Fast forward two years and he did just that.
“There were 55 at the first class,” he told the Donegal News.
“I didn’t know the interest but when you’re that age you aren’t aware.
“I kind of grew up teaching children.
“I taught them and I learned how to teach as I went on.”
Some of those who attended the first adult whistle class in 2001.
After months of training, Christy and his good friend Conor Porter decided to begin entering the band into competitions.
“The band was out marching in 1985 and by 1988, they won their first All-Ireland title in the Fleadh,” Christy said.
This first All-Ireland win played a pivotal role in Christy’s career which spanned over four decades.
“Other bands started asking me to teach and I started to earn a bit of money as well,” he said.
“I made a lot of good friends and had lots of great experiences, as well as a few tears.”
Over the years, Christy taught St Eunan’s Youth Band in Raphoe for 16 years, St Baithin’s in St Johnston for two years, St Patrick’s in Killea for two years, Ramelton Town Band for 15 years, Manor Band for two years, Donegal Community Band for two years and St Patrick’s in Drumkeen for one year.
But of course, during the early years of his career, music was just a side hustle for Christy.
Working in Unifi in Letterkenny alongside his brother for 19 years, he made the tough decision to leave in 2001 after his brother sadly passed away.
Unsure what path life was going to bring him down next, it wasn’t long until Christy secured his dream job, teaching the tin whistle in schools all around Donegal, the first of which was in his hometown of Raphoe.
Christy takes a tin whistle class in the Central National School in Raphoe in 2002.
“I was very nervous that first day, I had never taught academia in a school,” he joked.
“By the time I had ten weeks done, I had three more schools on board.
“By the end of 2003, I had six schools and by the end of 2004 I had ten schools.
“It was full time work then.
“I ended up with 24 schools over 22 years.
“It was the best thing I ever did.”
Over the years Christy has watched aspiring young musicians gain confidence all thanks to his musical expertise.
And because of this, Christy found the decision to retire very hard.
But with a weekly trad session in Raphoe, two choirs to manage, plenty of gigs at Donegal GAA matches, night classes and three grandchildren, the popular Raphoe man doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.
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