Michael McGee Interviews Tommy O Brien who has been the Leinster Handball Secretary for the last 30 years. On April 7th the legendary Tomas O'Brien completed a unique milestone in handball as he completed 30 years as Leinster Handball Secretary. The Leinster Convention took place in St. Colmcilles Kells Handball Club in Meath the same day as the National G.A.A. Congress and the Aintree Grand National. Tomas better known as Tommy to everyone in handball has passed many a winning post in his glittering career in handball. Tommy's earliest memory was being brought by his late father to see Joe Delaney playing in his local club of Talbot's Inch and Croke Park. This was the start of Tommy O' Brien's first tentative steps into handball and which would eventually lead him to become National Handball President from 1984 to 1987. In 1986 Tommy came to my home club of Crossakiel and officially opened the newly impressive 60 x30 court. As a then 17 year old little did I know then that years later that I would have the pleasure of working with him on a number of committees and to see at first hand the work the Kilkenny official has done for handball stretching back over five decades. Tommy received his secondary education at Colaiste Einde in Galway where there was four alleys. He modestly states that he didn't win many All-Irelands but is the proud owner of two National league medals with Kilkenny. After finishing school and graduating as a Teacher, Tommy taught for a short period in Graignamanagh NS but soon went to his Alma Mater Kilkenny CBS where he taught for 35 years, 15 of them as Principal. While teaching in Kilkenny Tommy joined the Talbot's Inch Club and within a year was elected Club Secretary. TOMMY'S HANDBALL ACHIEVEMENTS After only a year as Club Secretary Tommy was then elected Kilkenny Secretary and shortly afterwards Joe Lynch who had been Leinster Secretary since the beginning of Provincial Councils in 1950 decided to retire and Tommy was then elected Provincial Secretary. Tommy has served on many committees. He has been the handball representative on Leinster GAA Council since 1970 and has been Chairman of Coiste Gnimh and a member of the World Championship organizing committee for 1984 which Ireland hosted and will do so again in 2003. Tommy was the proud holder of the office of Uachtaran Liathroid Laimhe na hEireann from 1984-1987. This was the centenary year of the GAA when the President of the GAA (Paddy Buggy, Mary Fennelly (Camogie Council) and handball council were all Kilkenny People. The Talbot's Inch man was also Chairman of Feile na nGael in 1978/79 and was a member of the National Executive of this body for some years afterwards. The then GAA President Paddy McFlynn appointed Tommy as National Chairman of Lar Choiste Iomana in 1980 a position he held for 3 years overseeing the promotion of hurling through the country. More recently he is the chairman of the National Handball Yearbook Committee that publishes the Yearly handball magazine each year to a very professional standard and much praise must go to Tommy O' Brien for his huge input into this publication each year. JOE and CHRISTY DELANEY, TWO OF O'BRIEN'S HEROES Tommy's earliest handball heroes were Joe & Christy Delaney while John Ryan (Wexford) was the major player in the country at that time. The most exciting game he witnessed as a youngster was a victory by Christy Delaney over John Ryan and he can remember clearly Talbot's Inch packed for those games. The players that Tommy admired most while growing up were Joe and Christy Delaney, Paddy Reilly, Ollie Harold, Anthony Greene, Billy Bourke, Michael Reade, Eugene Downey and the other Kilkenny handball legend Duxie Walsh all of which were member of the Talbot's Inch Club and all won Senior All-Ireland medals, quite an achievement in itself. Peadar Hughes was the best exponent of hardball that he saw in Kilkenny while DJ Carey the Kilkenny Hurling star had incredible talent in handball. Outside of Kilkenny Tommy admired Dick Lyng of Wexford and his battles with Pat Kirby which he described as absolutely brilliant. Other players in the 1970's who showed great skills were Pat McGarry (Limerick), Murty Mc Ellistrum (Kerry) and Joey Maher (Louth). In more recent times the games that Tommy enjoyed most was Duxie Walsh meeting with Meath's Walter O'Conner in the 1992 Softball singles final which Duxie just won by 21-19 in the third game. One of his most disappointing memory's was the dominance of David Chapman (USA) showed against Duxie in the World Final of 1994 as Tommy felt Duxie had an excellent chance of winning but as it turned out Chapman won with a bit to spare. As he said himself he was not good company that evening. One of the competitions he laments about is the passing of the Gael Linn competition. This was a singles competition which would have almost every player in the country entering. The competition was played in groups of eight with the huge entry narrowed down to 64. It took just two more days to finish the competition. Eight groups of eight played a winner in each group and the remaining eight played out a further day. Games were played on a time basis with the group games being played for 20 minutes. DUXIE WALSH was O'BRIENS BEST STUDENT Tommy has another claim to fame he was the first to recognize the talents of one Michael Duxie Walsh. Tommy remembers meeting the young Walsh as a young nine-year-old where he was invited to come out to Talbot's Inch where there was a large number of Juveniles playing. Amusingly Duxie's handball career was almost over before it started when he had a row with a girl Mary Downey and ran home. Duxie wasn't to realize that he would win a record ten Softball Senior Doubles titles with her brother Eugene. From U-12 to U-14 level Duxie won two Leinster singles titles in a row and then two U-14 singles. Believe it or not Duxie didn't win anything at U15 or U-16 but the following year he won the Minor title. His next major step up was when he won both Minor and Junior titles on the same night at Croke Park and then in 1984 when he reached the All-Ireland Senior Singles semi-final while still a minor. He was the first Irish player to win a USHA title he traveled to Tucson Arizona in 1981 and took home the USHA 15 & Under title. Tommy has seen many changes since he became Leinster Secretary in 1969. Counties were allowed just one representative in each grade and there were just 12 championships minor, junior, senior singles and doubles in hardball and softball. Organising these championsips was very simple. On the Juvenile front we had just six championships and they were all played out on the same day in Gormanstown College. There are now over 30 championships at adult level and a similar number of juvenile competitions and huge entries for some of these grades. Joe Lynch organized the national business of handball from his home after a day's work in Guinness. It was a definite step forward when he became our first full time officer with an office in Crok Park and later when he was given a full time Secretary. Lorcan O' Ruairc has followed in his footsteps at national level. Another huge difference is in the standard of dress. Even top players had just one handball shirt. Matt Purcell was praised for having three shirts at a Gael Linn final he had qualified for. Handball shirts are now dressy and attractive and players always have replacements shirts for second and third games. Tommy sees the next 5-10 years as vital for the development of handball. Everything possible is being done at Provincial and national level to promote the game. The most important steps will have to be made at club and county level. We have some marvelous young players coming through Tony Healy, Kenneth Kane, Eoin Kennedy, Paul Brady, Dessie Keegan and Ricky McCann from all four provinces and give the promise of great game to come in the future. Tomas rightly points out that we can only judge the strength handball by the number of players who play at a lower level just for the love of handball. This is the biggest task facing handball in the coming years and the future of the game depends on success here. O'BRIEN IS A CLASS ACT AND WILL BE HARD TO FOLLOW With the last question put to Tommy on how long more he will keep going as Leinster Secretary. Tommy would be more than willing to stand aside as long as someone is available to do the work. So far he hasn't got many knocks on his door for the position. Leinster Council as formed in 1950 and has only had three secretaries in that time Joe Lynch (1950-1968), Phil Murray (1971-72 and Tommy has been Leinster Secretary since then. If and when Tommy O' Brien does call it a day and it will be a sad day in Leinster and indeed National level. He more than anyone else has given his life to handball and over those thirty glorious years has worked tirelessly for the game. I believe it will take at least two secretaries to do the work that Tommy O'Brien has done so professionally and with great humility and dedication in all that time. If and when the annuals of Leinster Handball is ever written you can be sure that the name of Tommy O' Brien its finest ever administrator will be the top of the class. Tweet

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