Teddy O'Brien
Personal information
Irish name Éamonn Ó Briain
Sport Dual player
Football Position: Full-forward
Hurling Position: Left corner-back
Born 1949
Blackpool, Cork, Ireland
Died 8 August 2000 (aged 50)
College Road, Cork, Ireland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Nickname Starry
Occupation Bank official
Club(s)
Years Club
1968-1983
1968-1983
 Glen Rovers
St. Nicholas'
Club titles
  Football Hurling
Cork titles 0 3
Munster titles 0 2
All-Ireland titles 0 1
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
1969-1975
1971-1977
 Cork (SF)
Cork (SH)		 6 (0-01)
4 (0-01)
Inter-county titles
  Football Hurling
Munster Titles 2 3
All-Ireland Titles 1 1
League titles 0 2
All-Stars 0 0

James Edward M. O'Brien (1949 – 8 August 2000), known as Teddy O'Brien, was an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer. At club level he played with Glen Rovers and St. Nicholas' and was also a member of the Cork senior teams as a dual player.

Early life

Born and raised in Blackpool on Cork's northside, O'Brien first played as a schoolboy in various juvenile competitions before later lining out as a student at the North Monastery in various competitions, including the Harty Cup.[1]

Club career

O'Brien began his club career at minor level as a hurler with Glen Rovers and as a Gaelic footballer with sister club St. Nicholas'. He joined both clubs' senior teams in 1968. O'Brien enjoyed his first major success at club level when he lined out at left wing-forward on the Glen Rovers team that beat University College Cork in the 1969 Cork SHC final.[2] Three years later he claimed a second winners' medal, this time lining out at left wing-back, when Youghal were beaten in the 1972 final.[3] O'Brien later won his first Munster Club Championship medal after a two-point win over Roscrea, however, a suspension meant that he missed the Glen's defeat of St. Rynagh's in the 1973 All-Ireland club final.[4]

Glen Rovers lost the 1973 Cork SHC final to Blackrock and again faced defeat by the same opposition in 1975 when O'Brien was team captain.[5][6] He won a third county title with the Glen in 1976 when Blackrock were beaten by three points.[7] O'Brien subsequently collected a second Munster Club Championship medal before lining out at left corner-back in the 2-12 to 0-08 defeat of Camross in the 1977 All-Ireland club final.[8]

The following five seasons from 1977 to 1981 saw O'Brien lose four county finals with Glen Rovers. He was again team captain for the 1981 defeat by St. Finbarr's.[9] O'Brien retired from club activity after the conclusion of the 1983 season.

Inter-county career

O'Brien first lined out at inter-county level as a dual player with the Cork minor teams in 1967. His one-year tenure with the minors was a successful one as Cork completed a double of All-Ireland victories after defeats of Wexford and Laois.[10][11] After a year out of the inter-county scene O'Brien was called up to the Cork under-21 teams in 1969 where he continued as a dual player. His debut season with the under-21 hurling team ended with a 5-13 to 4-07 defeat of Wexford in the 1969 All-Ireland under-21 final.[12] O'Brien won a second successive All-Ireland medal as team captain after a replay defeat of Wexford in 1970, while he also won an All-Ireland medal with the under-21 football team after a defeat of Fermanagh in the 1970 All-Ireland under-21 football final.[13]

O'Brien was still eligible for the under-21 grade when he made his Cork senior football team debut in the 1969-70 National League. He quickly became a member of the starting fifteen and claimed his first silverware after an 11-point defeat of Kerry in the 1971 Munster SFC final.[14] O'Brien subsequently joined the Cork senior hurling team and was part of the team that won the 1971-72 National League title. His debut season as a hurler ended with a defeat by Kilkenny in the 1972 All-Ireland hurling final.[15]

O'Brien spent much of the 1973 season as an unused substitute with the Cork senior football team. After making his only championship appearance of the year in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Tyrone, he remained as an unused substitute for the subsequent All-Ireland final defeat of Galway.[16] O'Brien ended his dual status shortly after this win and committed solely to the Cork senior hurling team. He won a second National League title in 1974 before claiming a second Munster SHC title after a defeat of Limerick in the 1975 Munster final.[17] After being dropped off the panel shortly afterwards he earned a recall a year later and was an unused substitute when Cork beat Wexford in the 1977 All-Ireland final.[18][19] In what was his final game for Cork, O'Brien became the 15th player to have won All-Ireland senior medals in both codes.[20]

Personal life and death

O'Brien spent his working life with Lombard and Ulster Bank. He died after a period of illness on 8 August 2000, aged 50.[21]

Honours

Glen Rovers
Cork

References

  1. ↑ "Best North Mon Hurling team part II". Diarmuid O'Donovan website. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Celebrating the rich hurling history of Cork's very own 'little All-Ireland'". Echo Live. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Glen are part of the fabric of Cork hurling". Echo Live. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Senior Hurling (Club)". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Classic county finals: When Mardyke took centre stage for hurling and football". Echo Live. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Club history". Glen Rovers GAA website. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Heroes of 76 relishing Glen Rovers' return to Munster showpiece". Irish Examiner. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "12 Heroic Club Championship Kingpins From So-Called Weaker Counties". balls.ie. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "The Barrs - a history". St. Finbarr's GAA website. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Minor football". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Minor hurling". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "Under 21 hurling". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Under 21 football". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "Senior football". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "Classic All-Ireland SHC finals - 1972: Kilkenny 3-24 Cork 5-11". Irish Examiner. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "1973: Barry-Murphy on the double". Irish Independent. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  17. ↑ "Senior hurling". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "Flashback: 1977 All Ireland SHC Final - Cork v Wexford". GAA website. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  19. ↑ "'Wexford's leaders will have to be inspired'". Irish Independent. 10 August 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "Teddy sounds warning to dual chasing Kerins". Irish Independent. 28 August 2001. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "Deaths". The Cork Examiner. 9 August 2000. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
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