Murray, William (Bill)
Part 1
Date of Birth: 29th December 1934
Place of Birth: Robinstown, Cushinstown, Co. Wexford
Date Interviewed: 31st May 2010
Summary: Bill Murray first tells the story of how his family came to own their farm. The original owner left it to his grandmother who had worked for him for thirty years. She first started working for the farmer when she was just eight years old! When Bill married Maura in 1961 they moved into the original thatched farmhouse. During the big blizzard of 1963 they were cut off for six weeks and the weight of the snow broke some of the roof rafters. That experience led Bill to build a new home for his family. He was prosecuted for his activities during a farming campaign in 1967 and had to go “on the run”. He would work on the farm during the day with look-outs keeping a watch for the police and would spend the night away from home. He refused to pay the fine imposed and eventually ended up in Limerick prison. He talks of the conditions at the prison. When Comoradh ’98 was formed Bill helped set up a Pike group to take part in the 1798 bicentennial commemorations. He also became a member of the Wexford Senate set up at that time.
