Singer songwriter Niamh Murray speaks about her music and her love of GAA
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00:00Where did this inspiration for music come from? Your family?
00:07Well, whenever I was younger, music was always a big thing in our house. My Dad always played his stuff. He's a great singer.
00:15I don't think he would mind me telling you that, but he definitely wouldn't be singing in front of people.
00:19But he was really big into his music and into his singing, and then my Mum loved her type of music.
00:23And then my Granny was that different generation, and then obviously whenever we were growing up we had our sort of music.
00:29So music was always played, whether it was in the house, in the car, it was like a constant.
00:33My two sisters, they're fantastic singers, and we would always sit around and harmonise and sing together all the time.
00:39And Friday nights in our house became a sort of, you know, get the instruments out and get a good sing song going.
00:45So that was really like a big thing in our house.
00:48I've had a lot of great people, you know, throughout the years.
00:53Whether it be football or whether it be singing, but definitely, even from early childhood in St. Teresa's and stuff, a lot of the teachers were great.
01:01Even the choir teacher, Miss Albrecht, she told my Mum in the first place, you know,
01:06I think your Niamh can sing, and I think you should really, really push her on.
01:10And then, you know, from there I got singing lessons, studied classical music, and I studied it for ten years.
01:15I absolutely loved it, and then went to Lismoor, and teachers like Miss Tiernan and Miss McLinton and things, they really pushed me on too.
01:22And then when I went to Derry, things just flourished from there too.
01:25And then, you know, as the years went on, then now we're here.
01:29So you've got your music published, or have you got any singles already?
01:35Yeah, I have. Well, I have my degree from Derry, which I'm very proud of, and then I have also my singing diplomas and things like that.
01:44But I would say the last four years I've been really focusing on my own music, and I've been releasing stuff, you know, through my own system.
01:53I'm not under anybody or anything, but I've just been doing it for the love of it, and just, you know, just to get it out there.
02:00So I just write my own stuff, and lucky enough, over the years of doing music, you get to know certain people,
02:06and, you know, they would help you out, whether it was producers or people who want to play along with you.
02:10So just pure luck that I was able to get in with great people and surround myself with great people and make decent music that I like,
02:16and I release it, and if people like it, great.
02:19So what are you working on now?
02:21Well, last year I entered the Boost Busking competition with Cool FM.
02:26I've never done anything like that before, and it was sort of just like, okay, why not?
02:30And I ended up winning it, and the prize was they pay for you to go into the studio and make a song for free,
02:37and I was like, poppy days.
02:38So when I won, I got to write and record a song in two days, which was stressful, but it was good,
02:45and I'm actually releasing it this Saturday, and that's in collaboration with Cool FM and Boost Ireland,
02:51which is great, and hopefully, you know, something good will come off the end of that.
02:56You're packing a lot. I understand you're away to Dublin to get another rack of aid.
03:03Yeah, just recently there was named on the IAB All-Ireland Championship team,
03:09which obviously I'm really ecstatic about, but again, like any time you win any accolades like that,
03:18it's, you know, of course you put in your own work and you've done things behind the scenes,
03:22but at the end of the day, like the girls that I play football with are just phenomenal,
03:26and they make you better every day, the coaches.
03:28And then even from like when you were younger, you know, people who just push you to keep going,
03:31and it's just nice whenever you get something like this that you can really think back on the people
03:35who really helped you to get there in the first place, so just buzzing as well for the family.
03:41I've always been, like, just mad into my football, but there's no sporting background in our family at all,
03:47so I don't know, but whenever I was younger, always kicking the ball, wanted to be a footballer for,
03:52like, for a profession, really, really worked, just really wanted to be there, played for Northern Ireland
03:58when I'm underage and things like that, and played through Cagavan City ladies,
04:02and then started with Clannairn when I was about 13, and I've never looked back since,
04:06and ever since I've just absolutely loved it, and we've, in the last couple of years,
04:10especially the ladies, have just gone from peak to peak, like we're just really, really, really bringing ladies football
04:16into a new light, especially in the town, so just buzzing about that.
04:20I know it's hard because this is quite a long list, but give me some of the recent wins that Clannairn has had.
04:27Well, we recently, well, we just won back-to-back Ulsters there recently.
04:32We won our first Ulster, not last year, but the year before.
04:35We had never done that, no team in Armagh had done that, so that was a great accolade for us,
04:40and then we recently just backed it up there last year with back-to-back Ulster wins,
04:44and hopefully we can keep it lit next year, but we got into our second All-Ireland semi-final,
04:51so hopefully, you know, that's a great achievement too, but hopefully we'll want to move on
04:56and eventually win an All-Ireland, but as well as that, there's girls there who play,
05:00there's like nine county players on the team, and girls win an individual man-of-match awards,
05:04and girls win an All-Stars, and Player of the Year's and everything.
05:09There's so many, honestly, even when I try and think of the amount of accolades Clannairn ladies have done,
05:14there's just that many.
05:16What makes Clannairn special, then, for ladies?
05:19Well, there's a real sense of family, and I know a lot of clubs would feel that way,
05:23but especially with the ladies, just the club in general, there's a real sense of family.
05:27It's passion here. It is a family place.
05:32Everybody really, really respects the club, and everybody works hard for the club.
05:36When we step onto the pitch, we always talk about how important it is to play for the jersey,
05:41and even though Gaelic isn't a paid sport or anything like that,
05:44we are just as passionate as the footballers over in England to get paid, whatever it is.
05:50But Clannairn ladies are just – genuinely, the girls are all lovely.
05:55We just want to win for each other, and we actually all just get on so well,
05:59and we're all best of best of friends, so that's why it just works.
06:03On this thing tonight, tell me about that. What is it that you've won?
06:08Oh, for Friday night?
06:11That's the AIB All-Ireland Championship team of the year.
06:17I'm just very lucky that I get to represent Ulster and get to represent our man, Clannairn.
06:23I'll be the only Ulster player there, but that's a great achievement for myself
06:28and hopefully a great achievement for the club and for everybody, especially my family.
06:33But that's where we're going down.
06:35Very lucky to go down on Friday to Croke Park to receive that award.
06:39So, yes, very grateful that I'm named in that team.
06:44Do you have any plans for the future?
06:47Plans for the future? I always say, as long as I'm doing something regarding music or football, I'm really happy.
06:54I definitely want to get to the stage where writing and releasing my own music is my main thing.
07:01I do love playing, obviously, and gigging, of course, but I would love to be able to do my own shows and things like that.
07:07But if that doesn't happen, again, I told you I'm happy just doing music,
07:11and I want to keep my football going for as long as I'm fit and able.
07:15But nice and simple, just music and sport regardless, so I'm happy enough.