h300_andy.htm

Biographies of Our Forefathers

Andrew Joseph Murray ^H300

Andrew Murray was the fifth child and third son of John Murray and Mary Ann Reynolds. He was born in the family home at Derrykenny, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland on February 22, 1948. He was baptized in Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Newtownbutler. His godparents were Susan Murray and Katie Ann McManus who were friends of the family.

Andy was raised on the family farm at Derrykenny. He attended Wattlebridge School until he was 16 years old. He was a quiet lad and as a child he enjoyed shooting air guns. After he left school he got a job with the Fermanagh Council working as a laborer.

Photo: Andy courtesy of Mrs. Mary Reynolds Murray.

October 23, 1973 British soldiers murdered this Tinneny descendant in one of the most notorious incidents during the troubles in Northern Ireland. Martin Dillon wrote an extensive account and analysis of the murder and the subsequent investigation. The 42 pages of Chapter 5 of his book THE DIRTY WARS, which was published by Arrow Books Limited, London in 1991, chronicle the event.

According to Mr. Dillon, at 4:40p.m. 23 October 1972 [Mary] Ann Murray was sitting in her home at Derrykenny in Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh when a tractor drove to the side of her house. She looked out and saw her son Andrew, unloading firewood from a trailer, which was connected to a tractor. Along side him was his employer, thirty-one-year-old Michael Naan who owned a farm in the townland of Aughnahinch several miles from the Murray home. Andrew was 24 years old, the second youngest in the family of three boys and three girls. He was a dutiful son and a quiet, inoffensive young man.

He had worked for Michael Naan for about two months. This day he had persuaded Michael to use his tractor and trailer to supply the Murray family with firewood out of Naan's land. Mary Ann didn't speak to her son or Michael but remembered hearing the tractor leave and seeing Michael driving it and Andrew sitting on the trailer. She noted the time was 4:40p.m. and knew that Andrew would be home within a few hours. The bodies of both Andy and Michael Naan were both found the following evening on the Naan farm.

An investigation conducted years later confirmed that they were wrongfully murdered by British soldiers.

Neither the authorities nor the British Army officials had the courtesy to notify Andrew's mother Mary that he had been killed. She learned of his death over the radio. The officials and the Army sealed the Murray house off and wouldn't let some family members and friends in to comfort and pay their respects to Andrew's mother in the days following the murder. During that time the Army had helicopters flying over the house and farm continuously.


Photo: Andy Murray’s coffin being carried to the yard at Saint Mary’s Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh Ireland – the church of the Tinneny family for hundreds of years. Courtesy of Andy’s mother Mrs. Mary Reynolds Murray.	Photo: Headstone on the grave of the Murray plot in Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Newtownbutler. Courtesy R. J. Tinneny.

After a funeral Mass, which was attended by many people, at Saint Mary's in Newtownbutler Andrew was buried in the Murray family plot in the yard of the church along side his grandparents and his father. Some time later, in addition to the headstone on the grave, which includes his name another marble marker was placed on the grave attributing his death to the British army.

Eamonn Mcphillips of Newtownbutler, a well known musician and friend of many Tinneny descendants, wrote the following ballad which he presents each year in Newtownbutler at the commemoration ceremony honoring Andy and Michael. The event is conducted by the Matt Fitzpatrick 1916 Society - Newtownbutler and attended by members of the society and others in the community.

Michael Nann And Andrew Murray

There’s a place called Newtownbutler on a Farm outside that town

Two young men were murdered by the forces of the crown

Michael Nann and Andrew Murray your names we’ll ner forget

Taken from your families what a cruil death you met

It was on a mild October in the year of seventy two

Going about your daily work it’s little that you knew

The British Troops were lying in wait with murder on their mind

Twa’s you who they did murrder in that visious hatefull crime

They first surrounded Michael as he stepped into the Byre

Stabbing him so many times he lay there in the myre

Young Andy tried to make a run out the laneway he did go

But the Argiles they caught up with him twas there they laid him low

People driving past that night on the road to Wattlebridge

Saw British Troops upon the road and emerging from hedge

Confused and waving traffic on with blood upon their clothes

It was little did the people know of the murder by thease foe

The R.U.C. knew well that night what happened on that farm

And with the Crown they covered up and did not raise alarm

The next day the bodies they were found twas a solemn sight to see

God rest you Micky and Andy may your souls in heaven be

Link to view Eamonn singing the ballad. Courtesy of Eamonn Mcphillips.

Andrew was the grandson of Patrick and Mary Tinneny Murray of Derrykenny, Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, great-grandson of Mary Tinneny of Goladuff, and great-great-grandson of Hugh Tinneny of Goladuff.

Note: Andy had no known descendants.