Death of Archdeacon Michael O’Brien RIP
It is with deep regret that UCC GAA Club acknowledges the death of Archdeacon Michael O’Brien, who passed away last Saturday. Known to all as Canon Michael, he left an incredible legacy as a coach to a multitude of GAA teams over 5 decades. The Canon achieved the highest honours when he coached the Cork Senior hurlers to All Ireland titles in 1984 and 1990.
However, it was his work in UCC and on the fields of third level GAA that O’ Brien is remembered with great affection and respect by countless students who came in contact with him. Along with Professor Willie Smyth and Dan Beechinor, UCC were to win the Fitzgibbon Cup from 1981 to 1988 and again in 1990 and 1991. It was possibly the greatest sporting achievement by any UCC sports team and the work of O’Brien, Smyth and Beechinor added to the college sporting tradition.
Former players of Michael O’Brien remember him as a phenomenon. To a man they quote him as the most important influence on their hurling careers with many taking it further than that. To try and describe his individual traits would do him an injustice, like the teams he created, quite simply the whole was greater than the sum of the parts with the Canon.
I remember in 1987, as captain of the Fitzgibbon team attempting to win the competition in Galway being asked by the UCG coach what enabled UCC to turn up every year with the desire and ability to win Fitzgibbon. My response was two worded ‘The Canon’. If the Canon closed the dressing room door and directed the team to go out through the wall, we would have gone out through the wall for him. It was as simple as that.
At that time any UCC team approaching a Fitzgibbon final had one advantage over their opponents in the form of Sunday mass. In his job as a Catholic priest he would use his contacts to seek out a local convent and the UCC entourage would squeeze in to some small church. These events were remembered by all as part of Fitzgibbon and were beautiful occasions. Part of his sermon on the morning of a Fitzgibbon final was used to explain how the challenges to be faced by the team in the hours ahead were similar to those to be faced in life. Before a jersey was handed out or before we had reached the venue for the game, the Canon had ensured that his UCC team were primed and ready to go.
Michael O’Brien will be buried at 12pm in his native Innishannon on Monday 17 of November, he will be remembered by a whole generation of UCC students as a decent man who shaped many lives for the good, his contribution to UCC Hurling Club, which he freely gave has been carried on by many over the years and it is important that when we remember the Canon we also remember Paul O’Connor and Tomas Fitzgibbon,
May he rest in peace.
John Grainger
