Conor Murray says he has "lived the dream" as he prepares to move on to the next chapter of his rugby career.
The scrum-half has Ireland and Munster business to attend to first but was able to reflect on his journey to date soon after announcing yesterday that Saturday week's Guinness Six Nations match against France will be his final home international.
Murray played for St Munchin's College in Limerick as a schoolboy and made his Munster debut in April 2010.
Later the following year he was called up to the Ireland squad under Declan Kidney to play at the World Cup in New Zealand.
"I came in off the pitch (yesterday) and announced it so my phone had a few messages and one of my good mates said, 'you lived the dream', and I really have," said the 35-year-old after Ireland training at Aviva Stadium yesterday.
"I feel really proud that I've been part of this team over the years and the coaches and the success we've had, I had the best days of my life in a green jersey."
Murray, alongside Peter O’Mahony and Cian Healy, who also announced they will retire at the end of the season, won five Six Nations titles including two Grand Slams.
He has 123 Irish caps and played eight Tests for the Lions.
His next club game will be his 200th with Munster, and he will play another season abroad at a yet-to-be-determined team.
"To be honest, I was 22 and I got called into the training squad," he recalled of his first taste of senior camp.
"I remember Deccie calling me in and telling me it would be a great experience for me down the line, that I might be back involved. I was just taking it all in, all these new experiences.
"I wasn't thinking about the bigger picture, I was just enjoying every new experience.
"Driving into Carton House and seeing Rob Kearney and Brian O'Driscoll as your team-mates you'd be training with, I was just blown away by it.
"It was very daunting coming in.
"That's the dream part of it, the nervousness coming in and eventually they're your team-mates, your friends, and you're going out in the Aviva playing with them down the line.
"That snapshot is just a bit of a blur, all these crazy new experiences and then heading to a World Cup.
"Coming home from the World Cup was like a new world really, people were recognising you and it was all very real then.
"At the time I was just thinking, 'this is crazy, enjoy it.' I didn't really understand what was happening."
Murray’s ability maintain his fitness levels has always been an asset but he also revealed that the neck injury he suffered in 2017 was a concern.
"Injury-wise, yeah, definitely it was a worry," he said.
"Meeting the surgeon a couple of times and he gives it to you straight in what could happen in terms of surgery and retirements, and not being the same again.
"Yeah, I think most players will go through something like that in their career. It’s just the nature of the sport.
"To kick on from that and get through that kind of storm, that was 2017 and we’re still here playing, so super proud of the resilience and sticking in there, and coaches backing you to get back to your best, and a lot of good times since then as well."
While Murray will hang up his green jersey as one of the decorated players the country has seen, success with Munster was harder to come by.
The 2023 URC title stands alone with Murray and O’Mahony unable to emulate the Munster classes of 2006 and 2008 that won the Heineken Cup, the standard by which the province judges itself.
"With Munster, too, it’s my home province and we’ve battled, and we’ve gotten close a few times," said Murray, who lost five European Cup semi-finals.
"That will be something we might not do, you never know this year, but so far we haven’t done the European triumph, which is something I grew up wanting to do.
"But I know I gave it everything for Munster and I will when I go back for the remainder of the season, and it would be lovely to get one of those cups.
"I think Pete will say the same.
"We’ve been proud of what we’ve done for our home province, the one we grew up wanting to play for, dreaming to play for. I’ve had so many highs in a Munster jersey.
"I know there isn’t a European Cup there but there are so many class memories I’ll take with me."
