With profound sadness last Tuesday evening I learned of the passing of the great Mick O’Brien, the Godfather of Walterstown GFC and Meath GAA. There could be no better war to describe the octogenarian legend. For is not the role of a godparent to step in in times of strife when things go wrong?
That needs a modicum of clarification because with his beloved Blacks it wasn’t a case of things going wrong, more that he was one of the foundation stones of the club itself. From being a part of their first Championship winning team in 1961 to starting their Juvenile section three years thereafter.
Now, at this point, I will openly admit to feeling wholly unqualified to pay tribute to the great man, but as is always my plan of action in these situations, I’ll go with what I know. Others will be able to pack much more meat into the sandwich.
If asked to describe Mick O’Brien, where to begin? Educator, inspiration and revolutionary. A short time ago, in paying tribute to the late Willie Lynskey, the deceased was described as a farmer and part time revolutionary. On foot of his being to the forefront of the NFA (now IFA) protests in 1970. With Mick, the educator is fairly obvious given his life as a teacher.
Though obviously a fair bit before my time, from knowing plenty of his past pupils, it’s obvious who revered he was by those whom he taught. Little wonder, because everything about Mick spoke of somebody who went above and beyond accepted norms in delivering assistance to anybody lucky enough to be able to avail of his expertise. Including yours truly, but we’ll get back to that anon.
Undoubtedly the greatest story I have ever encountered regarding a teacher, wasn’t it almost fate that Mick, as an All Ireland winner in 1967, was part of the Meath entourage who toured Australia in 1968. Ever the trail blazer. Keep in mind that back then such transatlantic treks were not only rare, but done by boat. Which meant An Muinteoir was absent from the classroom in Kells for about six weeks. You’d get hard to see a footballer getting away with such a thing now.
However, in keeping with his penchant for thinking outside the box, as told to me by one of his pupils that year, didn’t Mick only go and buy a gold tiepin emblazoned with a horse for each of those in the class he was teaching and thereafter regaled them with tales of the Melbourne Cup. Educational, don’t you know!
It reminds me of a tale regarding a former colleague of Mick’s and a great friend to both of us, the great Willie Lyons. If you haven’t twigged by now, my other great passion in life besides sport is farming. Thus, fifth class under Willie’s stewardship was the happiest spent in any form of education.
The similarities to Mick O’Brien weren’t just sporting either. The following tale surely stands comparison with the one about the tiepin. One day during that fifth class year, my brother – who was working with a local farmer at the time – was ploughing the field beside the school.
Which meant that the occupant of this seat had absolutely zero interest in whatever the brilliant Ballyhaunis man was earnestly trying impart on the blackboard.
Eventually, realising it was a battle he had no chance of winning (I didn’t have a powered wheelchair at the time) he says to the who wheeled me everywhere at the time “Bring Brendan out to beside where his brother is, there’s more than one way to get an education”. No wonder himself and Mick O’Brien worked so well together for so many years. Common sense and practicality will always outweigh rule and regulation.
Indeed, in researching and double checking for commencement of what you are currently reading, it was discovered that – and I was unaware of this up to press – that Mick had actually trained our footballers here in Dunboyne for a time in the late 1970s and early 80s. In view of the fact that Willie Lyons became involved with our club in 1978, the occurrences couldn’t just be coincidence, now could it?
How blessed were a generation of our players to have been graced with the magic touch of the great man. Speaking of coincidence, it was hardly that, either, which saw our club rise through the ranks of Meath football began in and around the same time. Signposted by the capture of a Junior B title in 1983 and the next grade up six years thereafter. Mick’s passing will be a cause of great sadness to those of us in Naomh Peadar fortunate to have had him touch and influence our lives in his own unique, gentle way.
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INSPIRATION – the entire contents of what you see before you could have been filed under that heading. Between the day job and his devotion to Gaelic games and history outside thereof could very easily be captured under the same heading. Some of which has already been touched on, such as being on the first ever Walterstown team to win a county Championship in 1961 and founding the Juvenile section of the Black three years thereafter.
But there’s more to the Mick O’Brien story than that. Much more. Perhaps more than anybody could do justice to in chronicling. As Walterstown put it themselves in their moving tribute to the fallen comrade “Especially without him there to correct it himself”!
Be that as it may, in a vain attempt to put on record even some of the greatness which was achieved under his direction as player, mentor and administrator, it’s astounding to consider the following. Mick O’Brien began has life in football in De La Salle school in 1956 and played up to Minor with the club of the same name because, as was previously stated, there was no underage in Walterstown/Johnstown. Until he started it himself in 1964!
Without knowing how organised or structured the following was at the time, as in, whether the Hogan Cup was in existence back then, St Finnian’s in Mullingar – where Mick got his secondary education – won a Leinster Colleges title in 1960 but lost out to St Jarlath’s of Tuam in the All Ireland Final. It would be far from the last time a school with strong Meath connections would come across those opponents in high level competition.
From there, and with Walterstown GFC as we now know it burgeoning under his feet, a graduation to inter county football was something of an inevitability for Mick. And the same adjective could also be used to describe the fact that success followed him as a player at county level too. With Leinster SFC accolades being garnered in 1962 and 64, while he was also there in ’66 before adding the Celtic cross to the triumvirate of provincial accolades.
In fact, again a fact only learned during prep work for this piece, that he featured on that Meath team throughout the Leinster winning part of the campaign. Being in receipt of particular commendation for his contribution against Offaly from wing forward.
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REVOLUTIONIST – Like ‘Inspiration’, this entire column could have been filed under said heading. Though again, greatest difficulty would be in identifying a spot from where to start. However, logic would surely decree it has to be the formation of the juvenile section of his beloved club in 1964. You know, it’s not stretching reality to call it his club. For, with absolutely no disrespect intended to anybody, if you were to ask what would Walterstown GFC be without the contribution of Mick O’Brien, it could make for very short answering indeed.
Reason being that, as astonishing an achievement as training a team to five Meath SFCs – 1978, ’80, ’82, ’83 and ’84 – would be at any time in its own right, add to that the role he played in forming the juvenile section of the club and bringing through each and every one of the players who brought the handful of Keegan Cup successes to Garlow Cross and beyond and they truly are feats never likely to be even attempted, never mind equalled.
Now, for most people, to achieve a minute fraction of what Micko had even up to that point would have been a lifetime highlight reel. But our Micko wasn’t most people. I would venture to suggest that another unique string to his bow was his managing of two teams at inter county level before taking the senior team in his club.
Those being the Meath Minors of 1972 – from whence Joe Cassells graduated – to be part of the other team, the seniors who stunned then defending All Ireland champons Dublin in NFL Final of ’75.
Mick was actually in charge of the county seniors from prior to that league campaign of ’74/’75 until September of 1982 when some hurler lad from around here took over. Not sure what ever became of him!
If you do the maths, you’ll notice that during some of that period he would have been double jobbing. Guiding the Blacks to their first two SFC titles whilst still managing the county team.
Not that anything would surprise you with Mick. Which is why I often wonder – even though I’ve no proof of the following – had he any input to the starting of the International Rules Series.
LEGACY – I’ve started so I’ll finish – as in, not knowing where to start under this heading either. Other than to opine that there are and will forever be layers to Mick O’Brien’s legacy. In sport and beyond it. Though it surely all has to start with revolutionising Walterstown. Not only putting them on the map but making the Blacks a powerhouse.
A club who, to this day, have never equalled in what they achieved by any of their contemporaries. Mind you, how apt was it that those under the direction of one of his ‘past pupils’ – Dunshaughlin with Eamonn Barry – who went closest.
At the beginning of this voluminous offering I mentioned how Mick had been a friend, mentor and advisor to yours truly also for as long as life in this seat has been fixated around GAA. So, from my own experiences, what would a summation of his modus operandi be? He was the living manifestation of Mul an oige agus tiocfaidh siad – nurture the young and they will come.
The installation of belief, attention to detail, an onus on the honour and importance of representation and leaving some form of reference points for those who come after us.
The latter point obviously refers to Mick’s meticulous recording keeping and the many books he authored on Walterstown and Meath GAA. The self belief was the “They don’t eat better spuds than we do” of its time.
The attention to detail refers to how he was able to analyse the great Dublin team of 1974/75 and pick them apart. Also how, with with all the euphoria surrounding the county senior team at the time, still managed to steer our Juniors to All Ireland glory in 1988.
He also had very clear ideas about how he wanted the game played. Once telling me “The wing forwards have to be like worker bees. Gathering possession and letting the centre forward and full forward line look after scoring”.
Still the simplest and best way of playing the game. I would have no doubt he would have been wholeheartedly in sync with the reforms instigated by Jim Gavin and the FRC as they espouse the ‘old fashioned’ way of playing the game. Long ball, high fielding and kicking scores from way out the field. Meath-style football straight from the O’Brien playbook.
There again, he was vastly ahead of his time, in that, yes, he did take notes on everything from training drills to tactics to opposition analysis. Possibly before such things had even come into play in the likes of American Football.
Now, obviously, with regard to leaving a legacy and inspiration for generations, his books, mostly aptly at the moment The Struggle For Pairc Tailteann, will endure as reference points and textbooks for future generations of GAA historians (and this writer as well!), but there’s another legacy to that legacy which only occurred to me in the midst of writing this. Now read on…
That being the amount of his former players who have gone on to be excellent and decorated coaches. Including but not limited to his brothers, Eamon and Ollie, the Barry brothers – Eamonn and Martin – Gerry Cooney, Paddy Carr, Frank O’Sullivan, Alan Browne, Ian Kearney, the McCarthy brothers – John, Justin and Paul – Joey Farrelly and of course his former teammate Pat Reynolds who, as well as being the county’s first All Star in 1971, was a key cog in Sean Boylan’s management team during the most glorious period in our history.
I was very honoured and privileged to be able to work quite closely with Gerry Cooney during his two spells with us in Dunboyne – which yielded one Keegan Cup success and absolutely would have delivered another if we weren’t robbed against Trim in 2002 – and he also would have kept me in the loop during his spells in charge of the Meath Minors and U-21s.
One thing that jumps off the page about Gerry’s methodology? The red ledger. The note taking. Every drill in every training session; attendances, possible lineups based on training matches and almost but not quite what the lads had for dinner! No guesses where he was imbued with the value of attention to detail!
No surprises, either, that his nephew, Shane – ‘Bells’ as he is known to most of us – is a Class A Stato. One who, combined with the great Lynch family of Ballinlough/Kilskryre and hoganstand.com gave yours truly a first start as a writer. Before going on to be General Manager of Simonstown Gaels (again, ahead of his time) before arriving at what I would consider to be his true calling – Statto for the Meath senior footballers.
All of us who were blessed to have Mick O’Brien cross our paths had our lives enriched. In education, sport, history, good humour and fiercely loyal friendship. To the O’Brien family, all in Walterstown GFC and the masses far and wide who will mourn the great man’s passing, my deepest sympathy.
A giant oak has fallen, and though it laid down without making a sound, the leaves scatter to leave a path forward in its wake.