Jimmy Murray (5 May 1917 – 23 January 2007) was an Irish sportsperson who played Gaelic football with Roscommon in the 1940s. Early & private life Jimmy Murray was born to John and Susan (née Walls) Murray in 1917. His mother, a native of Magherafelt, County Londonderry, was a teacher and his father ran a grocery shop and pub. Murray grew up in Knockcroghery, County Roscommon and was educated at the local national school, at Harrison Hall technical school and the De La Salle Brothers school in Roscommon. From an early age he was a Gaelic football fanatic and showed great skill at his favourite game. Murray was married to Ann Costello from Headford, County Galway. The couple had five children. She died in 1992. Murray was a publican by profession. Away from the field of play, he was a lover of music, especially famous tenors such as Athlone's John McCormack and Mario Lanza. His party piece was "The West's Awake" and the song became the title of a charity CD he produced in 2003 - a recording debutant at the age of 85.Jimmy himself inspired a tune ("Famous Jimmy Murray")recorded by Welsh folk band Allan Yn Y Fan. Playing career Club Murray had great success as a club footballer. He played with his local St Patrick's club in Knockcroghery, as well as hurling with Roscommon Gaels. In all he won six Roscommon SFC in 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1949. Murray was also a hurler of note and he won a Roscommon SHC medal with the Gaels club in 1938. Inter-county Murray's hugely successful inter-county career began in 1939. That year he played on a Roscommon team that defeated Limerick in the All-Ireland junior football semi-final, only to lose to Dublin in the final. A year later Roscommon returned to win the final with a comprehensive triumph over Westmeath. The stock of Roscommon football was on the rise and more experienced players like Jimmy Murray, Dr Donal Keenan (later to serve as president of the GAA), Owensie Hoare and Hugh Gibbons looked forward to the arrival on the senior team of the young players who won All-Ireland minor titles for the county in 1939 and 1941. The senior breakthrough came in 1943 when Roscommon defeated Galway in the Connacht final, a victory that Jimmy Murray later described as "our greatest victory until that point". They went on to