Ger Murphy arrived in Balally (Irish: Baile Amhlaoibh, meaning 'Olafs' Town') from Galway and started teaching in St.Olaf's N.S. in 1979 the year the pope arrived in Ireland. Back then there was no church in Balally so the school hall was used for masses and weddings. On the day Ger was interviewed for the job a wedding was taking place in the school hall. Ger and the groom entered the school at the same time. He seemingly said at the interview "if that's the dress code, I don't have a hope'.
Ger has a particular interest in GAA and all things sport. When he arrived in St. Olafs School, he set up football after school. He then started hurling as there was no hurling in the area prior to that. He got hurls for the children and even went to the bother of fixing the broken ones. Two years later St Olafs NS were in their first Cumann na mBunscol final in Croke Park. Since then, St. Olafs girls and boys have competed in hurling, camogie and football every year, reaching at least 27 finals and winning at least 13 titles.
Back then all this activity sparked local GAA interest and led to Naomh Ólaf GAA club being founded in the club in 1981 led by Mick Browne. Gerry also played junior hurling for our Club and helped to get our adult senior hurling team off the ground. Ger has a long-standing reputation of excellence within the GAA and recently awarded the GAA President Awards in 2018 for all he has done to promote GAA in our schools.
Ger took over as principal of St. Olafs N.S. in January 1997. He continued to lead the school as a kind and supportive principal and to develop St.Olafs into the excellent school it is today until his retirement in 2021. Ger always made everyone, the pupils, staff, parents and community feel special. He was always kind, friendly, caring and always professional. Ger has a great sense of fun and loves a good joke.
Olaf’ GAA club have been blessed with the teachers from the various schools in our Sandyford Dundrum/Churchtown parishes and without their input Naomh Ólaf GAA Club would not have had the success that we have achieved over the years. But we have to say that Gerry Murphy from Saint Olaf’s School was without doubt the main person for producing so many great players and for being part of the phenomenal growth of Naomh Ólafs club. Membership now stands at 2,583, 45% are female and 73 teams and 450 children in the academy. In 1999 Dundrum/Churchtown GAA chose to join forces with Naomh Ólaf.
Gerry although retired from St Olafs School to the golf course, he can be seen regularly supporting the club at matches. Where his son and daughters are carrying on his great work by playing leading roles as players in Hurling, Camogie and Football for Naomh Ólaf. He was on the sideline Sunday 9th Oct as the ladies senior camogie 2 coached by his son Eoin beating St Vincents in the Dv 2 final with two daughters Ciara and Éillis, captain, playing starring roles.
Congratulations to Gerry and his family on his Naomh Ólaf Club Hall of Fame Award, it is well deserved and long overdue and we hope Gerry and his family will continue to be a part of Naomh Ólaf GAA Club for a long time to come.
