Paddy "Hands" O'Brien (1925 – 26 March 2016) was an Irish

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er who played as a full-back at senior level for the Meath county team. Born in

Skryne Skryne or Skreen (), is a village situated on and around a hill between the N2 and N3 national primary roads in County Meath, Ireland. It is situated on the far side of the Gabhra valley from the Hill of Tara. This valley is sometimes referre ...

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

, O'Brien was introduced to Gaelic football at Skryne National School under the tutelage of schoolmaster Brian Smyth. Gaelic football competitions were curtailed during the Emergency, however, he made his senior début with the

club in 1942. A two-time

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

medal winner with Skryne, O'Brien also enjoyed

success with Seán McDermotts in Dublin. O'Brien made his senior début during the 1944 Leinster League. He went on to play a key role during a golden age for Meath and won two

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...

medals, five

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

medals and two

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions. As a member of the

inter-provincial team, O'Brien won three

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...

medals. He retired from inter-county football following the conclusion of the 1955 championship. O'Brien is widely regarded as one of the greatest Gaelic footballers in the history of the game. He has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including at full-back on the Gaelic Football Team of the Century in 1984 and the Gaelic Football Team of the Millennium in 2000.

Playing career

Club

O'Brien made his senior championship début with Skryne in 1942. He was at corner-forward that year as Skryne faced Donaghmore in the decider. A 1-8 to 0-2 defeat was the result on that occasion. Two years later in 1944, Skryne reached the decider once again where they faced Navan Parnells. After two exciting draws, Skryne were successful at the third attempt, with O'Brien scoring 1-1. It was his first

medal. Skryne were successful in retaining the title in 1945. A huge 3-17 to 2-4 defeat of Oldcastle gave O'Brien a second championship medal. Work commitments brought O'Brien to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1946. Here he joined the Seán McDermotts club where his brothers Vincent and Cyril also played. In 1947 O'Brien captained the club to

success.

Inter-county

The suspension of the minor championship during the Emergency delayed O'Brien's inter-county début, and it was 1944 before he made his first appearance for the senior team in the Leinster League against

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

. O'Brien enjoyed his first major success in 1946 when Meath defeated

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

by 2-2 to 0-6 to secure the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. In 1947 O'Brien won his first

medal following a 3-7 to 1-7 defeat of reigning provincial champions

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

. After surrendering their provincial title in 1948, Meath bounced back the following year with O'Brien collecting a second Leinster medal following a 4-5 to 0-6 defeat of

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

. On 25 September 1949, Meath faced three-in-a-row hopefuls

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

in the All-Ireland final. The northerners were overly reliant on Peter Donohoe who scored all six of their points with five coming from placed balls. Bill Halfpenny scored Meath's goal in the second half, however,

Mick Higgins Mick Higgins (22 August 1922 – 28 January 2010) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Cavan county team, winning three All-Ireland medals during his career. In later years he was a successful coach. His first All ...

responded immediately with a goal for Cavan, however, it wasn't enough as Meath secured the title with a 1-10 to 1-6 victory. It was O'Brien's first

medal. Meath surrendered their titles to Louth the following year, however, they bounced back by reclaiming the provincial title in 1951. The 4-9 to 0-3 defeat of Laois gave O'Brien his third Leinster medal. On 23 September 1951, Meath faced reigning champions

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

in the All-Ireland decider. Two first-half goals from

Tommy Langan Thomas Langan (23 September 1921 – 22 September 1974) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played as a centre-forward and as a full-forward for the senior Mayo county team. He was selected at full-forward on the Football Team of the Millenniu ...

and Joe Gilvarry and three points in the last five minutes from

Pádraig Carney Pádraig Carney (1928 – 9 June 2019) was a Gaelic footballer who played as a centre-forward for the senior Mayo county team. He was one of the last two living players from the winning 1951 Mayo team, the other being Paddy Prendergast. C ...

gave Mayo a 2-8 to 0-9 victory. There was some compensation a week later when O'Brien claimed the National Football League title. The 1-10 to 0-10 defeat of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

gave O'Brien a second league medal. O'Brien won a fourth Leinster medal in 1952 as Meath defeated Louth to take the provincial crown. On 28 September 1952, Meath faced old rivals Cavan in the All-Ireland final. With time almost up Meath looked like they had just done enough to merit a one-point victory, however, Cavan's Edwin Carolan chased a ball that appeared to go over the end line and kicked it across the goal. The ball hit the far post and rebounded over the bar to secure a 2-4 to 1-7 draw. The replay on 12 October 1953 was also a close affair.

Paddy Meegan Patrick Meegan (1922 – 14 November 2012) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played as a right corner-forward at senior level for the Meath county team. Meegan made his first appearance for the team during the 1942 championship and was a ...

missed three vital frees for Meath, while Cavan's Mick Higgins scored seven points in all. Peter McDermott missed a great chance towards the end when he shot wide with just the Cavan goalkeeper to beat. The 0-9 to 0-5 score line resulted in defeat for O'Brien's side. Three successive provincial titles proved beyond Meath, however, the team returned once more in 1954. A 4-7 to 2-10 defeat of

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

gave O'Brien a fifth Leinster medal. On 26 September 1954,

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

opposed Meath in the All-Ireland decider. Tom Moriarty's 20th-minute goal sealed victory for Meath when Peter McDermott's shot was saved but rebounded to the waiting Moriarty who finished to the net. John Sheehan pegged one back for Kerry two minutes before the interval, however, it wasn't enough for Kerry as Meath secured a 1-13 to 1-7 victory. It was his second All-Ireland medal. Meath surrendered their championship titles to

in 1955 and O'Brien retired from inter-county football.

Inter-provincial

In 1953 O'Brien was chosen at full-back on the Leinster inter-provincial team for the first time. A 2-9 to 0-6 defeat of southern rivals

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

gave O'Brien his first

medal. O'Brien was picked at full-back once again in 1954, as

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

provided the opposition in the decider. A narrow 1-7 to 1-5 victory gave O'Brien a second successive Railway Cup medal. In 1955 O'Brien was appointed the captain of his province, as Leinster faced Connacht for the second successive year. A close game developed once again, however, Leinster triumphed by 1-14 to 1-10. Not only was it O'Brien's third Railway Cup medal but he also had the honour of lifting the cup.

Honours

;Skryne *

Meath Senior Football Championship The Meath Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the top Gaelic football clubs in Meath, Ireland. Qualification for subsequent competitions The winners of the Meath Senior Football Champi ...

(2): 1944, 1945 ;Seán McDermotts *

Dublin Senior Football Championship The Dublin Senior Football Championship (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the '' Go-Ahead'' Dublin Senior Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition between the top Dublin GAA clubs. The winners of the ...

(1): 1947 ;Meath *

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

(2):

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA ...

(5):

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

(2): 1945-46, 1950-51 ;Leinster *

(3): 1953, 1954, 1955

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Paddy 1925 births 2016 deaths Gaelic football backs Skryne Gaelic footballers Sean McDermotts (Dublin) Gaelic footballers Meath inter-county Gaelic footballers Leinster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Winners of two All-Ireland medals (Gaelic football)