Row Person of the Year 2025
The Past Pupils Union is delighted to announce that John Murray (class of 1962) has been elected ROW Person of the Year for 2025. John is one of six brothers who attended the ROW and who are still active members of the PPU.
John has been a PPU committee member for many years and served as President in 2010/11. He contributed greatly to all aspects of its work and social activities especially the organisation and running of the annual dinner. He has been our front line negotiator with the Westbury Hotel and has worked his charm on the young ladies, with whom he has negotiated there, to get a good deal, not only on the meal price, but on the little “extras” which make all the difference to our enjoyment. These include the drop of Pernod in the mushroom soup, the champagne afternoon tea for the raffle and the printed menu which includes information on past presidents and ROW Persons down the years. In recent years he has also acted as our photographer and many fine photographs of his can be viewed on previous News Blog pages.
John’s career, after leaving school in 1962, was spent in the Worlds of Accountancy and Life Assurance. He attributes his aptitude for figures to the excellent teaching in Maths which he got in the ROW. He believes that skill in numeracy is very important for all students on leaving school.
He started his career in 1962 as an audit clerk with Coopers and Lybrand and continued his studies in the evenings at the College of Commerce, Rathmines.
John’s next posting in 1963 was to the newly opened Intercontinental Hotel in Ballsbridge where he got his first introduction to computers, an IBM 4200 punch-card system. During this posting, JFK visited Ireland so the entire hotel was taken over by the US State Department. Exciting times indeed for a lad fresh out of school!!
John’s next assignment was at Aspro-Nicholas on the Naas Road. Whilst there he took up a position in the Cost and Works, Purchasing and Production Planning functions.
By this time, John was studying at the IMI where he met two ROW old boys, Pat Stynes and Oliver Byrne who introduced him to Past Pupils events.
John’s further evening studies brought him to the NIHE where he made contacts who later enticed him to get involved in a start-up venture importing nursery/toy brands.
Around this time he attended many ROW meetings and annual dinners mostly at the Montrose Hotel.
Around 1985/6 John joined a newly founded Life Assurance Company called Abbey Life as a Training/Sales Development Manager. Abbey Life was acquired by Canada Life in 1993 with whom John enjoyed a very successful period until he retired in 2007. He did not neglect his studies, even in later years, and achieved QFA and CFP designations.
John continues to put his experience and knowledge to good use as a volunteer strategist with the Credit Union.
John is a keen philatelist and has a full collection of every Irish stamp issued from the foundation of the State.
Genealogy is another of John’s hobbies and he has identified over 10, 000 relatives/ancestors dating back to 1688.
