Redmond Óg Murphy (11 October 2000 – 1 April 2022) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Sligo Senior Championship club Curry and at inter-county level with the Sligo senior football team. He usually lined out as a forward.

Red Óg Murphy
Personal information
Irish name Réamann Óg Ó Murchú
Sport Gaelic football
Position Right corner-forward
Born (2000-10-11)11 October 2000
Midleton, County Cork, Ireland
Died 1 April 2022(2022-04-01) (aged 21)
Dublin, Ireland
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Club(s)
Years Club
Curry
Club titles
Sligo titles 0
Colleges(s)
Years College
2019–2022
DCU Dóchas Éireann
College titles
Sigerson titles 0
Inter-county(ies)*
Years County Apps (scores)
2020–2021
Sligo 1 (0-00)
Inter-county titles
Connacht titles 0
All-Irelands 0
NFL 0
All Stars 0
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 10:10, 2 April 2022.

Career

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Murphy played football as a schoolboy at St Attracta's College in Tubbercurry, while lining out at juvenile and underage levels with the Curry club.[1] He first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the Sligo minor football team in 2017.[2] Murphy made the switch to Australian rules football after signing for North Melbourne Football Club in 2018.[3] After one season in the Australian Football League he returned to Ireland and linked up with DCU Dóchas Éireann and the Sligo under-20 football team in 2020.[4][5] Murphy made his senior team debut during the 2020 National Football League. He was a regular on the team for two seasons before stepping away in November 2021.[6]

Death

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Murphy died by suicide on 1 April 2022, aged 21.[7][8][9]

Speaking to The Irish Times in November 2022, eight months on after his death, Murphy's parents Geraldine and Redmond said nobody knows why he did it and that he had no history of mental health issues and he gave no hint to anyone that he was struggling.[10] In December, his parents appealed to anyone suffering mental health issues in silence to reach out to a loved one or a professional for help this Christmas.[11]

Career statistics

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Team Year National League Connacht All-Ireland Total
Division Apps Score Apps Score Apps Score Apps Score
Sligo 2020 Division 4 7 1-13 7 1-13
2021 4 0-03 1 0-00 5 0-03
Career total 11 1-16 1 0-00 12 1-16

References

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  1. ^ "Rice College are Connacht Colleges A Champions". Connacht GAA website. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Galway fire home 3 goals in Salthill as they complete Connacht minor three-in-a-row". The 42. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Red Og Murphy signs with Kangaroos". World Footy News website. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  4. ^ "'I didn't have the same love for AFL as I had for Gaelic. It wasn't the sport I thought it would be'". The 42. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Rossies march past Sligo to make Connacht U20 FC final". RTÉ Sport. 15 February 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Red Óg Murphy steps away from Sligo footballers for 2022". The 42. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  7. ^ "GAA community in mourning after sudden death of Sligo football star Red Óg Murphy (21)". Irish Independent. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Tributes paid to Sligo footballer Red Óg Murphy who has died tragically". Irish Examiner. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  9. ^ "The life and death of Red Óg Murphy: 'We had no reason to believe anything was wrong'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  10. ^ Clerkin, Malachy (26 November 2022). "Red Óg Murphy: 'He would keep at something until he got it'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  11. ^ Moloney, Eoghan (18 December 2022). "'There are people there to help' - Family of Red Óg Murphy urge people in distress to reach out this Christmas". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
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