Nickey Brennan (Irish: Nioclás Ó Braonáin; born 3 December 1953 in Conahy, County Kilkenny) is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Conahy Shamrocks and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1970s. Brennan was the President of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2006 until 2009, and is noted for presiding over the controversial eligibility ruling restricting players from appearing for their college teams.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Nioclás Ó Braonáin | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Half-back | ||
| Born |
3 December 1953 Conahy, County Kilkenny | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Conahy Shamrocks | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1970s-1980s | Kilkenny | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 6 (4 as sub) | ||
| All-Irelands | 5 (3 as sub) | ||
Playing career
Club
Brennan, along with his brother, Kieran, played club hurling and football with his local club Conahy Shamrocks. He was a key part of the team that won both junior and intermediate titles in 1976 and 1977.
Inter-county
Brennan first came to prominence as a member of the Kilkenny minor hurling team in the early 1970s. He won a Leinster title at this level in 1971, however, his side were subsequently defeated by Cork in the All-Ireland final. Brennan later joined the Kilkenny under-21 team where he enjoyed more success. In 1974 he won a Leinster title in this grade, before later winning an All-Ireland medal following a defeat of Waterford. Brennan subsequently joined the Kilkenny senior team, however, it took him a few years to nail down a regular place on the team. He was a member of the panel when ‘the Cats’ won Leinster titles (1974, 1975, 1978) and All-Ireland titles (1974, 1975); however, it was 1979 before Brennan won his first provincial title on the field of play. He later collected his first All-Ireland medal following Kilkenny’s defeat of Galway in the championship decider. Three years later in 1982 Brennan added a National Hurling League medal to his collection before later winning his second Leinster medal. Kilkenny later defeated Cork in the championship decider giving Brennan his second All-Ireland medal. He won a second National League title at the beginning of 1983;however, he was only a member of the panel when Kilkenny later won Leinster and All-Ireland titles. Brennan retired from inter-county hurling shortly afterwards.
Post-playing career
In retirement from hurling Brennan became involved in the administration of the Gaelic Athletic Association. In 1990 Brennan managed the Kilkenny Under 21 hurlers to All-Ireland success over Tipperary. In 1991 he commenced a four-year term as Chairman of the Kilkenny County Board. In 1995 he succeeded Ollie Walsh as manager of the Kilkenny senior hurling team. Brennan enjoyed mixed success in this position. He guided his native-county to a Leinster final in 1997, however, his team was defeated by Wexford. His term as manager came to end when Kilkenny were defeated by the eventual All-Ireland champions, Clare, in the All-Ireland semi-final. Brennan also served as manager of Kilkenny’s senior football team during the eighties.
Brennan continued an involvement in the administration side of the GAA during the nineties and was elected to the position of Chairman of the Leinster Council. It was during this incumbency in this post that Brennan launched his bid to become President of the GAA. In April 2005 he defeated his Munster Council counterpart, Christy Cooney, and was duly elected President. He took up this position in 2006.
Brennan travelled 160,000 miles in Ireland alone during his three years as President, and visited Great Britain, Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East on several occasions, meeting dignitaries such as New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg along the way.[2] His term of office ended in 2009, when he was succeeded by Christy Cooney, who had won the subsequent election.
References
- ^ "Brennan defends college eligibility rule". Hogan Stand. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- ^ "From Slieverue to Sydney and all places in between, the President probably got there". Kilkenny People. 2009-05-20. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
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