Edward J. Breslin (1940 – 9 February 2021), known as Éamonn Breslin, was an Irish

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

er who played as a forward for club sides Inchicore Hibernians and Ballyfermot Gaels and was a member of the

Dublin senior football team The Dublin county football team represents Dublin in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Dublin GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Irelan ...

from 1963 until 1968.

Career

Breslin played his Gaelic football for Inchicore Hibernians and Ballyfermot Gaels, with both teams participating in the Dublin Junior Championship. He earned a call-up to the

and was an unused substitute on the team that beat

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

in the 1963 All-Ireland final. He also claimed two Leinster Championship titles. Breslin is probably best remembered for becoming the first player to score a headed goal in Gaelic football, a feat he achieved in a

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

game against

Laois County Laois ( ; ) 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 medieval kingdom. Hist ...

in November 1964. His inter-county career was short-lived and he switched to rugby not long after scoring his famous goal, joining the Monkstown club in south Dublin.

Personal life and death

Having served his time as a

bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsperson and tradesperson who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of maso ...

, Breslin subsequently worked as a

car salesman An automobile salesperson is a retail salesperson who sells new or used cars. Unlike traditional retail sales, car sales are sometimes negotiable. Salesmen are employed by new car dealerships or used car dealerships. Car negotiation The pric ...

and finished his career with Fort Motors in Cromwellsfort Road in South Dublin in 2006. He died on 9 February 2021.

Honours

;Dublin *

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

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 GAA, Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Asso ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breslin, Éamonn 1940 births 2021 deaths Dublin inter-county Gaelic footballers Monkstown Football Club players People from Ballyfermot Sportspeople from South Dublin (county) Date of birth missing 20th-century Irish sportsmen