John O'Brien (23 August 1919 – 19 December 1988), known as Seánie O'Brien, was an Irish hurler who played for club sides Éire Óg and Dicksboro and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lined out as a full-forward.

Seánie O'Brien
Personal information
Irish name Seánie Ó Briain
Sport Hurling
Position Full-forward
Born (1919-08-23)23 August 1919[1]
Kilkenny, Ireland
Died 19 December 1988(1988-12-19) (aged 69)
Kilkenny, Ireland
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Occupation Stonemason
Club(s)
Years Club
Éire Óg
Dicksboro
Club titles
Kilkenny titles 0
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1939-1946
Kilkenny
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 5
All-Irelands 1
NHL 0

Career

edit

O'Brien played hurling as a schoolboy with the Kilkenny CBS team that won the Leinster Junior Championship in 1934. At club level, he won four consecutive Kilkenny MAHC titles with the Éire Óg club. O'Brien progressed onto the club's senior team and won his sole Kilkenny SHC title after a defeat of Carrickshock in 1939.[2] He later had a lengthy senior career with the Dicksboro club. O'Brien first appeared on the inter-county scene during a three-year tenure with the Kilkenny minor hurling team. He won All-Ireland MHC medals in 1935 and 1936 and was team captain in 1937.[3] O'Brien subsequently earned a call-up to the Kilkenny senior hurling team and played at full-forward in the defeat of Cork in the 1939 All-Ireland final.[4] He also won five leinster Championship medals and lined out in the All-Ireland finals of 1940, 1945 and 1946.[5] O'Brien also won a Railway Cup medal with Leinster in 1941.

Personal life and death

edit

Born in the Bishop's Hill area of Kilkenny, O'Brien was the son of James and Margaret O'Brien. After leaving school he trained as a stonemason with Cleere's Builders and he worked in Germany, the Netherlands and the United States. His sons, Seánie and Paddy O'Brien, played hurling with the James Stephens club and won All-Ireland MHC honours with Kilkenny in 1972.[6]

O'Brien died at St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny on 19 December 1988, aged 69.[7]

Honours

edit
Éire Óg
Kilkenny
Leinster

References

edit
  1. ^ "John O'Brien". Irish Genealogy website. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Club titles - Kilkenny". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Leinster Minor All-Ireland Hurling Winning Teams" (PDF). Leinster GAA website. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  4. ^ "75 years ago thunder rolled at Croke Park on eve of world war". Irish Examiner. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Leinster Senior Hurling Finalists" (PDF). Leinster GAA website. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Roll of Honour Medal Winners". James Stephesn GAA website. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Former hurler dies". Kilkenny People. 6 January 1989. Retrieved 12 December 2021.