County player and legend of Carlow GAA is laid to rest

Described as one of County Carlow's greatest ever footballers and unquestioned the best minor that ever played for the county, Edward (Cran) Hogan was laid to rest this week.

Cran (69) rom 36 New Street, Carlow passed away in St Luke's Hospital,Kilkenny following a long battle with Motor Neuron disease.
Over the past 14 months, Cran bore his illness with tremendous strength and dignity in the ICU unit of St Luke's Hospital, His wife of 49 years, Rita a daily visitor.
A legend in GAA circles, Cran was a native of Castle Street, Carlow and from an early age his physical strength and skills on the field marked him out as a promising GAA talent.
He first played with Millford, winning a junior championship with the club in 1955, while still just a teenager.

He later jined the newly-formed Eire Og club and went on to be part of the club's first ever winning senior championship in 1960. Cran went on to win three further senior championships with Eire Og in 1962, 1965 and 1967.
For 10 years from 1958 to 1968, Cran was a senior county playerand was a part of the historic Carlow team that reached the 1958 Leinster semi-final.
"The outstanding thing about Cran Hogan was that he could play anywhere. For Carlow he played full-back, centre back, midfied, centre forward and full forward thats the central spine of the team and he played in all those positions for Carlow with great dignity and glory," said Vincent Harvey, a former Carlow teammate of Cran's.
"He was a massive man and a fantastic stricker of the dead ball with either left or right foot.
"He was an unbeliveable footballer and he was up there with the very best that ever played with Carlow," Vincent said.

"He would have got his place with any inter-county player in the country."
Cran also played with Leinster and in doing so attracted the attentions of some genuine legends of the game.
On one occasion when playing No6 on the Leinster side against Munster, Cran gave a fine exhibition of football - so much so that the great Dublin player Pady Holden, who was playing No7, at the end of the match handed Cran his jersey and declared that Cran was that one who should have been wearing it.
Kildare great, Mick Carolan, in recent years presented Cran with a ball inscribed: "To my friend Eddie, one of the best players of the 1950's."

In his early days, Cran worked as transport manager with Brendan Boyer and The Big 8 Showband while he also worked in accounts department of The Nationalist.
In recent years, Cran still enjoyed a flutter at the bookies. He loved the daily walks with his two dogs. Since moving to New Street five years ago, Cran also took a great interest in keeping the estate lookingits very best.
The remains were brought were brought to Carlow Cathedral on Saturday evening. Requiem Mass took place on Sunday followed by burial to St Mary's Cemetery.
Guards of honour were observed from many of Cran's former Carlow teammates while many county board officials and past and present also attended.
He is survived by his wife Rita, sons Brendan(England), Eamon (New Street) and Paul(Kilkenny), daughter-in-law Zoe, his brother Jim(Australia), relatives and a wide circle of friends. He was predeceased by his brother Willie. Tweet

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