New York’s representative in the Kick Fada in Wicklow on September 13 will be New Jersey native Patrick Murray, who calls Mahwah, New Jersey home. He played his underage football with the Rockland football club.

With a winning kick of 65 meters in the recent New York competition, Murray will have a tremendous opportunity of taking the international Kick Fada to the U.S. for the first time.

Murray is the oldest of two children with father Aidan a Clones, Co. Monaghan native. His mother Linda is from New Jersey.

With a brother Aidan three years younger, Murray’s genes are steeped in the GAA.  His uncle Ciaran was the captain of the Monaghan side that won the Ulster title in 1988, with another uncle,

Brendan, also on the team. His father played soccer locally in the U.S. after his arrival.

Murray played underage football with the Rockland football club.  Some of his teammates were Shane Hanley, Mike and Pat Keane and Padraig Gargan.

His GAA career took a hiatus after his prowess kicking a football was noticed and nurtured at Don Bosco High School in New Jersey.

He won three state titles with the school before moving on to Fordham University in the Bronx where he became a two time All-American punter and All-American kicker. This past yea, his senior year, Murray was the number one kicker in all of the NCAA.

Murray majored in finance while living in the Bronx and studying at Fordham.

Following on the heels of another famous New York GAA player, Tommy Furlong (he was on football rosters for a period in the sixties), Murray tried out as a kicker for the NFL. He was with the Chicago Bears for a period in May and is on the short list for a number of football franchises in the event of any injuries after trying out for the New York Jets, Giants and the Indianapolis Colts.

“I have been in some very hostile environments before and will not have any fears going to Ireland. I am really looking forward to it and it is a dream come true” Murray said.

While it is hoped that Murray will be available to travel to Ireland, it will be very understandable if he can’t due to a call up to line out beside a Manning or a Brady on the highest levels.

So on to Bray, Co. Wicklow for the young man from New Jersey.  “I am hoping to go out and win,” he remarked.