‘Here's one for you’ revisited and renewed
The Brenan brothers
Johnny Mac, the publican in old Irish television drama ‘The Riordans’ had a daughter. That might be a surprise to even the most avid watcher of the long running series set in the fictional farming community of Leestown in County Kilkenny. You see the daughter featured in an early episode, was seen cycling her bike down a country road. And was never seen or heard from again. Seems she slipped scriptwriter Wesley Burrow’s mind!
What in the name of God, you ask, has that got to do with this Gaelic games column? Well, you see, back in the Summer we attempted to float a ‘Here’s one for you’ segment where we set a poser, the answer to which would appear the following week. At the end of a column recalling how the Rea brothers, Ned and Gerry, played on each other in the 1973 Limerick v London All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final in Ennis, our ‘Here’s one for you’ asked can you name the Carlow brothers who played against each other in the National Hurling League in March 1991?
Circumstances ordained the answer couldn’t appear seven days later as that week’s column was a tribute to the late Jim Treacy, though truth be told in the guard of honour formed for the St Mullins hurler Paddy Ryan of Ballinkillen did ask for the answer. “T’is on your own doorstep,” I whispered and a smiling David Wall gave me reason to believe he knew the brothers in question.
Anyway, between swings and roundabouts in the ensuing weeks, we didn’t get back to ‘Here’s one for you’ and then, like ‘The Riordans’ scriptwriters and Johnny Mac’s daughter the Brenan brothers slipped my mind. No, not the Brennan brothers of TV hotel fame but the Brenan brothers of Ballinkillen and if you are thinking, Jesus, wouldn’t you think they’d proofread the column better, think again! The Brenan’s of Ballinkillen spell their name with one n!
Reason your scribe is aware of that unusual spelling of the name is that when helping out with the Ballinkillen GAA history in 2021, we were nearly ready to press the button to send the finished pdf’s to the printers when Mick Kinsella, the driving force behind the project, reminded us of the Brenan spelling, sparking off a fresh proofread of the pages. On page 82 of the finished product, part of a chapter by the aforementioned Mick titled ‘Keeping Her Lit’, among the 1991 highlights, we read, “Brenan brother v Brenan brother’. ‘Brothers face each other in NHL Match’. Sunday, March 3. A unique aspect of the meeting of Carlow and Sligo in Tourlestrane on Sunday was the fact the brother opposed brother. Paddy Brenan lined out at mid-field for Carlow whilst his older brother Tom lined out in the No 11 jersey for his adopted Sligo. ‘The Nationalist’ reported that Tom had to go off due to injury but not before scoring a goal against his native county. For the record Carlow won on a scoreline of 4-10 to 3-7. Both had played together on Ballinkillen U-21 winning sides and Tom had hurled with the county U-21s in 1980 and 1981, contesting a Leinster ’Special’ Final v Meath in ’81. Tom, who played his club hurling in Sligo with Craobh Rua , shared his memory of that Tourlestrane game with Mick Kinsella. “I was actually as sick as a dog that day, but really wanted to play and I did. After 20 minutes (on Johnny Nevin) I could hardly stand let alone run. I came off, togged in and went straight home and to bed!” It was Tom Brenan, too, I think, supplied Mick with the photograph of the two brothers shaking hands before the game, a previously unpublished snap and one we are delighted to reproduce in this week’s column. Paddy made 65 competitive appearances with Carlow’s flagship hurlers and was a key figure in the county’s 1992 All-Ireland Senior B Championship victory.
The Brenan brothers weren’t the only siblings in action in Tourlestrane that day. The three English brothers, Tom, James and Pat, sons of Jim English, the famous Wexford All-Ireland hurler of yesteryear, featured on the visiting Carlow team as did the Hayden brothers, Joe (in goal) and Brendan while on the Sligo side you had the Walshe brothers, Eamonn and Brendan of Tourlestrane.
Also in action that day were 2024 Carlow selectors, Christy Kealy (his debut) and Pat Murphy (our top scorer with 0-6). Paul Seevers of Tubbercurry was Sligo’s top scorer with 1-3 while Eamonn Reddin, son of Tony Reddin - former Galway and Tipperary legend, goalkeeper on the Hurling Team of the 20th Century - hurled with Sligo that day. Tony Quigley, full-back for Sligo v Carlow lined out in goal in the subsequent All-Ireland B SHC, the position he played for Dublin in the 1986 Leinster SHC semi-final against Kilkenny in Croke Park when a St Vincent’s clubman. And there were two Pat Hickey’s hurling that day, our own one and only Pat Hickey of Ballymurphy and Mount Leinster Rangers fame, who was right full back for Carlow and the hosts Pat Hickey of Sligo’s Naomh Eoin, a native of Clare.
While apologising for our late answering of last Summer ‘Here’s one for you’, the timing has afforded us the opportunity to not only revive the ‘Here’s one for you’ concept but to bring to you an end of year ‘Here’s one for you’ special featuring 12 posers and invite readers to e-mail their answers to asirovedout@gmail.com by Monday, January 6th, the e-mail with the most correct answers wins a wonderful prize of a silver membership to Club Carlow for the 2025 season.
1. He played in the Dublin Senior Football Championship final in 1980, the same year he played in the Carlow Senior Football Championship final? Who? And how could this be?
2. On Sunday, April 9, 1961, playing at left full forward he scored 3-0 for Kilkenny in a National Hurling League victory over Wexford in Wexford Park. On Sunday, October 21, 1962, again playing at left full forward, only now in the red yellow and green of Carlow, he played his part in a famous National Hurling League victory over Cork - Christy Ring and all! - in Dr Cullen Park. Who was he?
3. In August 1944 he came on as a sub for Carlow in their famous All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final against Kerry in Croke Park; six years later, in July 1950, playing left full-forward he won a National Football League medal. Who was he and with whom did he win the National Football League medal?
4. He made his lone competitive senior hurling appearance for his native Tipperary in the 1969 Oireachtas semi-final defeat to Cork in the Cork Athletic Grounds where eight years earlier he had played mid-field for Carlow in a National Hurling League defeat to the Rebels? Who was he?
5. Name the man whose participation in six consecutive Carlow SFC finals involved playing in three and refereeing three but not necessarily in that order?!
6. She was one of Carlow’s greatest camogie players of all-time, a regular on the Leinster Gael Linn Cup team and in 1951 was selected on an Irish camogie squad that was to travel to America but, alas, the trip never took place. Her daughter too starred with Carlow and Leinster and played with Ireland v Scotland in the Shinty-Camogie tests. Name the mother and daughter internationals.
7. On Saturday, December 14, 2024 he was proudly celebrating Bennekerry/Tinryland’s All-Ireland Ladies victory in Croke Park, not his first time to celebrate a Carlow All-Ireland football victory in GAA headquarters as on Sunday, May 14, 1972 he scored a hat-trick when winning his own Celtic Cross. Who was he and what was the competition?
8. In 2021 at the TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football Association All-Star awards she was named the TG4’s Junior Players’ Player of the Year, the same year she won the Golden Boot for amassing the stunning total of 9-19 in the championship campaign. Still racking up scores in December 2024. Who is she?
9. He played full back for Carlow in a 1947 Leinster Senior Football Championship defeat by Offaly in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise but, playing left half back, won a National Football League medal in the 1949-50 season. Who was he and with whom did he win the National Football League medal?
10. He came on a sub for Carlow in the 2006 Christy Ring Cup final defeat by Antrim in Croke Park, 27 years after his father had refereed Antrim against Tipperary in Croke Park in the 1989 All-Ireland final. Name the son, name the father?
11. He scored the only goal the last time Carlow’s flagship footballers won a competitive game in Croke Park, his father having scored many a goal for Carlow at the same venue. Name the father and son and for good measure the game in which the son rose his green flag?
12. And the final here’s one for you seeks two more names, the first Carlow man to play Railway Cup football with Leinster and the first Carlow man to play Railway Cup hurling with Leinster?
