Inside the Circle with Sean Murray: Ireland Hockey, Paris 2024 and Life in Europe
From growing up around Lisnagarvey Hockey Club to captaining Ireland at an Olympic Games, Sean Murray's hockey journey has taken him from Northern Ireland to the Netherlands, Belgium and some of the biggest tournaments in world hockey.
With more than 140 international appearances, experience at a World Cup, European Championships and the FIH Pro League, Sean has built his career across several very different hockey environments.
In this edition of Inside the Circle, Sean joins Total-Hockey to talk about growing up with hockey, making the move into professional European club competition, the road to Paris 2024, what it was really like to compete at his first Olympic Games and how he sets up his adidas equipment.
Watch the full Inside the Circle interview with Sean Murray below, or keep reading for the biggest stories and insights from his journey through international and European hockey.
Growing Up Around Hockey
Hockey became part of Sean's life through family.
His older brother started playing after joining Wallace High School, while his dad had also played the sport and began coaching at Lisnagarvey.
Before long, Sean was involved too.
His sister also played, and hockey quickly became something the whole family shared.
Weekends were spent at Lisnagarvey, watching senior matches, playing with friends and taking every possible opportunity to get onto the pitch.
Like plenty of young hockey players, that included rushing onto the turf at half-time to hit balls, aim for the crossbar and make the most of the few minutes before the senior players returned.
What started as another sport eventually became the one that stuck.
Why Club Hockey Matters
For Sean, Lisnagarvey wasn't simply somewhere to train.
It was where he grew up.
His family were part of the club, his friends played there and he progressed through the youth teams alongside players he'd known for years.
That created an environment where hockey remained enjoyable even as the standard increased.
Sean was also fortunate to enter a strong first-team setup containing experienced players he could learn from.
Training and competing alongside established senior players helped accelerate his development and eventually contributed to domestic success with the club.
It's a useful reminder of how important a strong club environment can be.
For young players, development isn't only about formal coaching.
Watching experienced teammates, spending time around senior hockey and simply being part of a club can all have a huge impact.
The Move From Lisnagarvey to Rotterdam
Sean always had ambitions to play abroad.
He wanted to complete his university degree first, but professional hockey in Europe remained part of the plan.
The actual opportunity arrived quickly.
While competing at the Azlan Shah tournament, Sean was told that Rotterdam were looking for a midfielder.
The message was simple: if he was interested, things could move fast.
And they did.
After returning home, he received a call, flew to Rotterdam and spent a couple of days meeting people from the club and seeing the city.
Interestingly, there wasn't even a traditional trial.
Rotterdam had already seen enough footage to know they were interested.
Within weeks, the contract was agreed.
What Changes When You Play Hockey in the Netherlands?
One of the first things Sean noticed in Dutch hockey was the overall level.
It wasn't only the international stars who stood out.
The average technical standard across the squad was extremely high.
Young players were comfortable receiving difficult passes and operating under pressure, while established internationals added another level again.
Then there was the training volume.
At Lisnagarvey, Sean had been used to a couple of club sessions during the week before a weekend match.
In Rotterdam, the schedule became more professional.
There were more sessions, double-training days and greater time devoted to hockey throughout the week.
That additional volume creates an environment where players are constantly exposed to high-level hockey.
And over time, that raises the standard.
Why Playing Abroad Is About More Than Hockey
Moving to Rotterdam wasn't only a sporting decision.
Sean wanted the life experience too.
He had studied at home and knew he wanted to experience living somewhere completely different.
Moving abroad meant adapting to a new city, different teammates and a more professional environment.
It also meant living alongside other overseas players who were going through the same experience.
That combination — serious hockey alongside the opportunity to experience a different culture — became one of the most enjoyable parts of the move.
For players considering hockey abroad, that's worth remembering.
The development isn't only technical.
Living independently, adapting to a new country and meeting different people can be just as valuable.
What Hockey Stick Does Sean Murray Use?
Sean has used adidas hockey equipment since his teenage years.
Like many young players, his first interest in a particular brand partly came from watching better players.
He noticed which sticks top players at school and international level were using and began experimenting with similar models.
Eventually, adidas became his preferred option.
By around 16, after progressing into the Ireland under-21 setup, he received sponsorship from the brand.
More than a decade later, the relationship continued.
At the time of the interview, Sean was using an adidas Estro .1.
Why Sean Prefers the Estro Bow
Sean's stick choice has evolved throughout his career.
He originally used a lower-bow model before eventually moving towards the shape that developed into the Estro range.
The change initially happened partly because younger Sean liked the look of a particular new model and saw elite players using it.
But the shape ultimately suited his game.
As a midfielder, the Estro provides a versatile profile that allows him to perform a range of skills rather than being designed around one highly specialised technique.
And after years of using that bow successfully, he sees little reason to change.
That's another useful equipment lesson:
Sometimes the best stick isn't the newest model.
It's the one whose shape you've learned to trust.
How Sean Murray Sets Up His Hockey Stick
Sean is also particular about the weight, balance and grip of his stick.
He prefers a stick around the mid-500g range with a specific balance point.
He then removes the original grip and replaces it with two thinner grips.
Unlike players who prefer an extremely thick handle, Sean wants something that sits between too thin and too bulky.
That setup gives him a consistent feel without making the handle difficult to move in his hands.
Again, personal preference matters.
The same hockey stick can feel completely different depending on how it is gripped and balanced.
Dutch Hockey vs Belgian Hockey
After playing in both countries, Sean sees clear differences between the Dutch and Belgian leagues.
The quality at the top is similar.
The style isn't.
Dutch hockey tends to feel more direct and expressive.
There is plenty of flair and a willingness to attack quickly.
Belgian hockey, in Sean's experience, can be more structured — particularly when it comes to pressing systems and organisation.
Neither system is automatically better.
But experiencing both forces a player to adapt.
That's one of the major benefits of playing internationally at club level.
Different coaches and leagues expose you to different solutions to the same hockey problems.
Balancing European Club Hockey With Ireland
Playing professionally abroad creates another challenge:
international training.
Ireland doesn't operate with the same full-time centralised programme available to some of the world's biggest hockey nations.
That means international players often have to balance club commitments with opportunities to train together as an Irish squad.
Sometimes that has meant playing a club match on Sunday, flying back to Ireland for several days of national-team training, then returning to Europe in time for the next club fixture.
Budgets also matter.
International camps cost money.
And while competing in the Pro League gives Ireland valuable exposure to the world's strongest teams, those trips also use resources that could otherwise support additional training camps.
Managing that balance is part of the challenge of competing internationally as a smaller hockey nation.
Sean Murray's First Olympic Games
Paris 2024 was the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.
For Sean, becoming an Olympian felt surreal.
It's the tournament players dream about growing up.
The packed stadiums, Olympic Village and enormous Irish support created an atmosphere unlike anything he'd previously experienced.
At first, there was even a sense of imposter syndrome.
Suddenly he was sharing the Village with some of the most recognisable athletes in world sport.
But that feeling quickly disappeared.
After a few days, the players settled into the environment and were able to appreciate just how special the Games were.
Why Paris Felt Special for Ireland
Location helped.
Paris was close enough for a large number of Irish supporters to travel.
That meant Ireland weren't simply competing at an Olympic Games.
They were doing it in front of a strong travelling support.
For a team representing a relatively small hockey nation, that atmosphere mattered.
Sean talks about how easy it is to understand why athletes become desperate to experience another Olympics.
Whether you're playing, coaching, volunteering or supporting, there is something unique about the environment created around a multi-sport Games.
Meeting Athletes in the Olympic Village
The Olympic Village also gave Sean a few memorable encounters.
Pin swapping became an easy way to meet athletes from other nations.
One particularly memorable target was Andy Murray.
Sean joked that he'd wait for Andy to swap a Team GB pin with him — only for the tennis star to cycle past moments later.
That led to a conversation, photo and pin exchange.
He also met Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Those encounters might have little to do with hockey performance, but they're part of what makes the Olympic Village such an unusual sporting environment.
How Tough Was Olympic Hockey in Paris?
Every Olympic match is difficult.
But one game stood out physically.
After close, high-intensity matches against Belgium and Australia, Ireland faced India in extreme heat.
Temperatures reached around the mid-30s.
Players tried everything possible to manage the conditions.
Time in the shade.
Ice packs.
Minimising unnecessary exposure to the heat.
But fatigue inevitably became a factor.
Sean remembers periods where he was following his opponent while quietly hoping the ball didn't come anywhere near them because his legs felt so heavy.
That's elite tournament hockey.
Recovery from one match often has to happen while you're already preparing for the next.
What Does Olympic Recovery Look Like?
Once the tournament began, everything outside hockey took a back seat.
The priority after a match was recovery.
Players went straight into ice baths.
Travel back to the Village was followed by recovery boots, food, hydration and rest.
If there was time, players would nap.
They tried to stay off their feet and out of the sun.
Some evenings might involve another ice bath.
The following morning could include mobility work, physiotherapy, massage or light cycling.
The aim was simple:
Give the body the best possible chance of being ready for the next match.
Finishing Paris With a Win
Ireland finished their Olympic campaign with victory over New Zealand.
The performance wasn't necessarily their prettiest of the tournament.
But the result mattered.
After months of preparation and several tough matches against higher-ranked opposition, finishing with a win demonstrated how much the team had progressed.
Ireland had experienced some difficult results against top teams during the build-up.
At the Olympics, those gaps were narrowing.
The win helped Ireland finish the tournament positively and gave the programme something tangible to build upon.
Captaining Ireland at an Olympic Games
For Sean, Paris carried another layer of significance.
He wasn't simply representing Ireland.
He was captaining the team.
It's a role he tries not to overcomplicate.
Sean doesn't see leadership as something that belongs to only one person.
There are multiple strong voices inside the squad, and being captain doesn't mean carrying everything alone.
Still, leading your country at an Olympic Games is something special.
And at the Olympics, it felt even bigger than hockey.
Sean wasn't only representing an Irish hockey team.
He was representing Team Ireland.
The Match That Sent Ireland to Paris
Before Paris came Valencia.
Ireland needed to qualify.
And much of the qualification tournament ultimately came down to one huge match against Korea.
The team had analysed the likely route through the tournament and understood that the Korea fixture could become decisive.
That meant months of preparation effectively came down to one match.
Ireland eventually won 4-3.
Even in the final seconds, the players weren't willing to believe qualification was secure.
After the heartbreak of missing the previous Olympics, they knew how quickly things could change.
Only when the final whistle went did the reality hit.
Ireland were going to Paris.
Why Olympic Qualification Can Feel Bigger Than a Medal
For a team that doesn't automatically expect to qualify for every major competition, simply earning an Olympic place can carry enormous emotion.
Sean describes Valencia as the result of years of work.
One tournament.
One decisive match.
One chance to turn a childhood ambition into reality.
For players from larger hockey nations, qualifying may sometimes feel like the expected first step.
For Ireland, it was a major achievement in itself.
That's what made the final whistle so powerful.
Six Months of Full Olympic Preparation
Qualifying wasn't the finish line.
It was the beginning of an intense six-month build-up.
Shortly after Valencia, Ireland travelled to India for Pro League matches against some of the world's strongest teams.
There were difficult defeats.
But those results also exposed exactly where the squad needed to improve.
Fitness became one priority.
Other technical and tactical areas were addressed too.
More Pro League games followed, alongside additional camps and practice matches.
The schedule was relentless.
But once you know you're heading to the Olympic Games, there isn't much temptation to take your foot off the pedal.
Every session suddenly feels connected to the biggest tournament of your life.
Why India Is Such a Special Place to Play Hockey
Sean had already experienced major-tournament hockey in India at the 2018 World Cup.
For hockey players, India offers something few other countries can replicate.
Huge stadiums.
Packed crowds.
Noise.
Light shows.
And genuine passion for the sport.
Sean describes playing in front of close to 20,000 supporters and experiencing an atmosphere that felt closer to major football than what players sometimes expect from hockey.
At one Pro League match, the team returned to the pitch while the stadium light show was still happening.
The noise was deafening.
For the players, the challenge was almost remembering they still had another half of hockey to play.
The Next Goals: World Cup and LA 2028
Once you've experienced an Olympic Games, the ambition quickly becomes going again.
Sean is already looking ahead.
Another World Cup would be special.
Another Olympic Games would be even better.
For Ireland, the aim is to continue the upward trajectory, keep closing the gap to the leading nations and qualify for the biggest tournaments consistently.
Paris proved Ireland can compete on that stage.
The next challenge is to keep progressing.
What Can Hockey Players Learn From Sean Murray?
Sean's journey offers several useful lessons.
First, your club environment matters.
Lisnagarvey gave him friendships, role models and the platform to develop.
Second, playing abroad can accelerate improvement.
Moving into Dutch and Belgian hockey exposed him to higher training volumes, stronger average technical standards and different tactical approaches.
Third, equipment should suit your game.
Sean has experimented with stick shapes, weights and grips before settling on a setup he trusts.
And finally, progress isn't always about having the same resources as everyone else.
Ireland doesn't operate with the largest budget or a permanent full-time centralised programme.
Yet the team qualified for Paris, competed against the world's strongest sides and continued climbing the international rankings.
Sometimes improvement comes from making the most of the opportunities you have.
And for Sean, the journey from Saturday afternoons at Lisnagarvey to captaining Ireland at an Olympic Games shows just how far those opportunities can take you.
Watch the full Inside the Circle interview with Sean Murray to hear more about Ireland's road to Paris, professional hockey in Europe, adidas equipment and life inside an Olympic Games.
