The Dublin native was ordained in May 1966 following his education in Blackrock College; UCD; St Patrick’s College, and Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas.
In 1981, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, making him the youngest bishop at the time, aged only 41. Fifteen years later Bishop Murray was installed as the Bishop of Limerick.
He proved to be a hard-working bishop setting up parish councils and renovating St John's Cathedral in the city. He even sold the traditional Bishop's Palace, moving into a modest house.
He also set up best practice procedures for safeguarding children and was on the Bishops' Liaison Committee for Child Protection.
However, Bishop Murray was one of a number of auxiliary bishops criticised in the Murphy Report into the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse in the Dublin archdiocese from 1975 to 2004. He resigned in 2009 following media pressure at the age of 69.
Bishop Murray has been suffering from ill-health for an extended period of time. A number of months ago it was expected that he would go to his God but he rallied.
However, he passed away shortly before 1am this Sunday.
Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy wrote to priests of the diocese to inform them of the sad news this morning.
“I write to let you know that Bishop Donal Murray died very peacefully this morning at 00.50. Frs Noel Kirwan and Liam Enright were with him. Let us pray for the repose of his soul, thanking God for the great contribution Bishop Donal made not only to the Diocese of Limerick he loved so greatly and the Archdiocese of Dublin, but also to the Catholic Church and churches in Ireland, and indeed the universal Church.
“Endowed with a brilliant mind, he treasured and communicated wisdom, was gentle in spirit and generous of heart. He had his share of suffering, but we trust that the ‘hundredfold’ of eternal life which today’s Gospel speaks of, is now his,” wrote Bishop Leahy.
The Bishop of Limerick said his predecessor will be remembered for so much and, indeed, his work in Limerick overseeing the completion of the conservation works on St John’s Cathedral is a lasting physical memory of his time here.
"But more than anything, he was attuned to the fast changing ecclesial and social context and the challenge of rebuilding the community of faith. His great mind was always working on building a Church of tomorrow, not on holding onto a Church of the past," said Bishop Leahy.
Lourdes was especially close to Bishop Murray’s heart and he was a regular attendee on the Limerick Diocese’s annual pilgrimage to France. He remained a popular figure about the religious community.
Bishop Murray was a well-known and respected author in the areas of theology, ethics and social issues, having written three books and numerous articles, booklets and pamphlets.
No funeral details have been announced.