The CEO of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation has paid tribute to his predecessor describing the late Joey Murrin as a man who had an innate and forensic knowledge of the fishing industry and an ability of conveying very complex issues in simple understandable terms for a general audience.
‘Joey Murrin was a giant of the Irish fisheries sector. He was a founding member of the KFO and before that with the Killybegs Fishermen’s Association, served as CEO of the KFO for more than 22 years. In that time, he left a very healthy legacy in fighting the corner of the sector on a local, regional, national and European platform using every opportunity to improve the lot of his members and the wider industry. He also served as Board member and Chairman of BIM and as a Board member of the Marine Institute as well as on numerous Governments committees and task forces,’ KFO CEO Seán O’Donoghue said.
‘His passing leaves a great void but he can genuinely be proud of what he achieved and his understanding of the challenges facing the sector was deep-rooted and could be matched by few, if any. He was widely known and for many years was recognisable face of the Irish fishing industry. Born and bred in Killybegs, fishing was in his DNA and when I began in this role succeeding Joey in the year 2000, he was a tremendous source of good counsel and sage advice.’
‘His loss will be sorely felt and I wish to offer my deepest sympathy to his wife, Betty, his children Eilish, Malachy, Edel, Joseph and Alan, but we are all the better for having had the benefit of his sharp intellect, irrepressible drive and far-reaching vision,’ Seán O’Donoghue concluded.
