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sad loss GAA community in mourning after sudden death of Sligo football ace Red Óg Murphy (21)

Red Óg Murphy in action for Sligo. Image credit: Sportsfile. Expand

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Red Óg Murphy in action for Sligo. Image credit: Sportsfile.

Red Óg Murphy in action for Sligo. Image credit: Sportsfile.

Red Óg Murphy in action for Sligo. Image credit: Sportsfile.

Michael Verney

TRIBUTES have been paid after the sudden death of Sligo football star Red Óg Murphy left the GAA world "absolutely devastated” today.

News broke this afternoon about the sad passing of Murphy, a trainee primary school teacher in DCU, with the 21-year-old one of the brightest football prospects in the country.

The Curry clubman, who spent eight months with Australian Rules side North Melbourne in 2019 before returning home to play GAA, opted out of the Sligo fold for 2022 but he had starred with DCU in the Sigerson Cup.

Murphy was rewarded for his sterling efforts in the middle of the park by making the Electric Ireland Rising Stars Football Team of the Year and the people of Curry, Sligo and beyond have been rocked by his tragic passing.

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"The community is devastated here," neighbour and Sligo county councillor Martin Connolly said of the news. "The parish of Curry in Sligo, the parish that he played for, the community is absolutely devastated.

"Speechless is the word I'd put on it. People are walking around in a daze, they don't know what has happened. Our sympathies is all we can do, to give our sympathies to his dad and mum, Geraldine and Redmond, and his two brothers.

"The community is rallying around here big time. There are 10 or 15 people in the community centre, cleaning it and getting it ready for the events that'll happen in the next couple of days.

"He was a highly respected young fellow in this parish. The world was thought of him. Young boys and girls in the area here in Moylough National School, where he went to school, they really looked up to that lad.

"Everybody is so shocked and saddened for the family and for the community. This is a great community here, the family will be looked after."

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