Colm Murray facebook support page “in bad taste”

A friend of Colm Murray has strongly criticised a facebook page which was purportedly set up in support of the RTE personality but has instead been used for posting light-hearted comments about the weather and other topics. 

'The Colm Murray Support Page’ was set up by an anonymous facebook user last year and has been 'liked’ by over 16,000 people.

The creator and administrator of the page said it would be used to support “sports broadcaster Colm Murray’s battle with Motor Neurone disease.”

However, the majority of its updates have not been related to Colm Murray or to Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Over the last year, the page was updated with posts including: “Looks like rain Ted”; “What is the best scenic area you have been to in Ireland?”; “What’s your favorite film of all time?” and “Oh it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas :)”

Other posts included: “So any big wins for anyone today or so far at Cheltenham?” and “Happy Mother’s Day to all the mammys out there!! LIKE if you love your mum :)”

The page is not operated by Colm Murray or his family. This fact is not made clear on the main page, and numerous users have posted comments indicating that they believe it’s being updated by Colm, who was diagnosed with MND three years ago.

A 'Happy St. Patrick’s Day’ message which was posted on the page this year drew replies such as: 'Many happy returns Colm’ and 'We miss u on the TV Colm’.

One man replied to the post about Cheltenham saying: “Miss the great tips you always gave us!”

As recently as Monday of this week, a man who said he was also suffering with MND posted a touching message for Colm on the page, in which he encouraged him to maintain a positive attitude.

Carmel Dolan, a long-time friend of Colm who grew up next door to him on Church Street in Moate, said the facebook page was offensive.

“I have been aware of this page since it was set up and it has angered me from the outset,” said Carmel.

“I questioned the owner as to their identity, and the aims of the page, and my comments were swiftly deleted. I was then banned from making any future comments. Anyone who knows and loves Colm finds this page hurtful and in very bad taste.”

A message which this newspaper sent last Friday to the site’s administrator had not received a reply at the time of going to press. We also contacted the facebook press office last Friday in relation to 'The Colm Murray Support Page’ but, again, we have not received any response.

A number of people have recently posted messages on facebook in an attempt to highlight the fact that 'The Colm Murray Support Page’ is not affiliated with Colm Murray or the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Their message have had some, limited, success as the number of people who 'like’ the page dropped slightly over the last week.

Meanwhile an MND drug trial, in which Colm Murray was involved, has been unsuccessful. Stage III trials of the drug Dexpramipexole failed to show any discernible impact for sufferers of MND and it has been withdrawn by its manufacturer, Biogen Idec.

In June 2011, Colm, along with other patients, went on blind trials of the drug at Beaumont Hospital.

Professor Orla Hardiman said the drug showed promise in animal trials, but this did not translate to humans. She said that while the patients and their families were disappointed by the trial, a lot had been learned and the company remained committed to finding a cure for what is currently an incurable condition.

Carmel Dolan and her daughter Dáire are hosting a 'Drink Tea for MND’ event at The Grand Hotel in Moate on Thursday June 20 from 10.30-12 noon and they hope as many people as possible can come along to show their support.