This Limerick Life...Gerry Murray
Gerry Murray from Patrickswell is chairman of the 600 kilometre charity amateur cycle 'Tour de Munster' which travelled through every county in the province in aid of Enable Ireland.
I'VE been on my bike all last week during my holidays, practising in the Kerry mountains. So, whatever the weather, 100 miles a day for four days in this year's 'Tour de Munster' shouldn't be too big a challenge for me. And I also completed the Cape Argus tour in South Africa this year. It's the biggest organised cycling event in the world and had 40,000 participants over 109 kilometres. We've put a limit of 70 cyclists on the Tour de Munster for road safety reasons, but it should be spectacular anyway, especially when we go out over the Vee from Waterford to South Tipperary on the first stage.
Cycling is in the blood. My late father William was a great grass track cyclist. That was huge back then at local sporting events in places like Dromkeen. They raced on grass and when I was growing up we had a whole sideboard of silver teapots that he had won at different events. He won them at a time when people didn't even have the tea to put in them during the war. My brother Michael did a lot of competitive cycling and took part in Ras Tailteann races when he was younger. We cycled everywhere when we were young. I cycled to school in Lurriga and later I cycled every day to Ardscoil Ris in the City.
As a family, we're all big into sport. But I'm afraid I have a bit of competition at home now. My wife, Barbara, plays squash for Ireland, and my son Conor, who is 19, is a rugby player. He plays for Garryowen and has a couple of caps for Ireland at junior level, when he played against Italy and France. I have two daughters; Aisling, who is in Transition year at school, and Sarah, who is studying Social Science at UCC. Sarah is interested in rowing, but had to withdraw because of an injury. So when it comes to sporting prowess, I don't get much of a chance to boast at home.
Apart from the cycling, I play a bit of golf. At the moment, I'm captain of the Parknasilla club in Kerry. We holiday down there and it's one of my favourite places. There are certainly lots of cycling options with breathtaking scenery. It's all part of the cycling thrill.
I was honoured when they made me chairman of the Tour de Munster six years ago. I've been in the chair ever since and I do the tour every year myself. Apart from my interest in cycling, it's great to be able to do something for a good cause. We do 100 miles a day over the four days, 600 kilometres in all, and visit every county in Munster. This is our eighth cycle. We're setting out from Cobh this Thursday and we will reach Killaloe by evening for the first stop over. The most arduous part of this first stage will be climbing out over the Vee, but it will almost be one of the most enjoyable. We'll be in Limerick – Cruises Street – next morning on the way to Castlegregory. From there we head out over the Connor Pass to Dingle and on to Lauragh, and then the final stage on Sunday takes us from Lauragh back to Cork.
Last year, we raised over €100,000 for Cystic Fibrosis. We support a different charity every year, and this year we've chosen Enable Ireland. We will have voluntary bucket collectors along the way. But most of the money is raised by the participants themselves. Each is asked to raise €500, but many of them are so enthusiastic that they could bring in anything up to €3,000 each. By the way, the event was the brainchild of another Limerick man, Paul Sheridan, who is now living in Cork. He's the man who organised the whole thing.
Sean Kelly, one of the country's greatest ever cyclists, will be with us on the first day of the tour. He's caught up with the Olympics and is off to Beijing the next day. Otherwise he'd be with us the whole way. I know Sean well. We cycled together in junior events years ago and I would have marshalled at many of his later races. He did a lot for cycling in this country, and we're good friends.
Competitive cycling in Ireland is not as big as it was when Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche were in their heyday. It has fallen back a bit and isn't at the same level at all. But then leisure cycling is becoming very popular all over the country, especially as people become more health conscious. It's certainly a great way to keep fit.
Interview: Patricia Feehily
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Weather for Limerick
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South
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Temperature: 13 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
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