Tommy and Christina Murphy

Tommy and Christina Murphy talk about their shared lifelong passion for the GAA. Tommy grew up in Tubbercurry and from a very young age developed a keen interest in Gaelic games. He travelled to watch games and played himself with Tubbercurry, and eventually with Sligo. He spent some time in school in Cork where he was exposed to a lot of hurling and to legends like Christy Ring and Jack Lynch. His wife Christina has lived and breathed the GAA all her life, as her family were always deeply involved. Her father, Jack Brennan, was chairman of the county board and was also on the Connacht Council. She recalls meeting many historical figures growing up through her father, who was an umpire in the 1947 All-Ireland football final in New York. Christina spent some time in Dublin attending Sion Hill, and this allowed her to pay regular visits to Croke Park. Back in Sligo she put her experiences to good use and wrote a history of Tubbercurry GAA. Together Tommy and Christina recalls faces and places they have come across over the years. They have rubbed shoulders with political figures and past GAA presidents, and lived through the post-Civil War era and the Emergency, when life in Ireland was not easy for anybody. They recall stories and characters that stand out in their minds, and reflect on how the Association has changed since the days when they were growing up.