Murray was Attorney General of Ireland under the Fianna Fáil government from 17 August to 14 December 1982.
Patrick Ryan to Britain on explosives charges dealing with the Provisional IRA, on the basis that the trial he would be given would not be fair due to excessive media coverage and remarks made in Parliament by the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher which were considered prejudicial.
[3][4] The criticisms of the Government's plans were contained in a 12-page critique by Chief Justice Murray, and the President of the High Court, Nicholas Kearns, and published in the Court Services website, but subsequently redacted at the request of the Government.
[6][7] Murray was appointed Chancellor of the University of Limerick (and so also Chairman of UL's Governing Authority) in 2013.
[8] In January 2016, it was announced that the Minister for Justice and Equality had appointed Murray to conduct a review of the legislation allowing access to the phone records of journalists.