Tributes have been paid to the talented Sligo GAA footballer and former Australian Rules player Red Óg Murphy who has died tragically in Dublin.
As the Irish Examiner reports, the 21-year-old was a student at DCU and was one of the Sligo's rising stars of both club and county football.
Paying tribute to him as news broke of his sudden death, neighbour and Sligo county councillor Martin Connolly said there is widespread shock in the area.
“The parish of Curry is speechless," Mr Connolly said.
"Red Óg was probably one of the finest footballers that came out of the area. He played for Curry GAA club. He and the Murphy family are highly respected."
The young man had an eight-month stint with AFL side North Melbourne Kangaroos in 2018. Mr Connolly added:
Our hearts go out to the family, to his mother Geraldine, his father Redmond and his two younger brothers. I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to the family.
Local parish priest Fr Leo Henry described the grief felt throughout the entire Curry community.
"The parish and community and the Murphy family — we are all one big family. We are united in life, and in grief, and in celebrating Red Óg’s wonderful short life,” he said.
“We are a very close-knit community. We are one big family, every single one of us.”
Red Óg was a former pupil at St Attracta’s Secondary School in Tubbercurry before moving on to study primary education at DCU to become a primary schoolteacher..
