Christopher "Christy" O'Brien (11 March 1933 – 7 March 2022) was an Irish hurler who played as a full-forward for the

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 ...

senior team. Born in

Borris-in-Ossory Borris-in-Ossory (, or the ' Burgage of Osraige') is a village in west County Laois, Ireland, close to the Tipperary border and the M7 motorway. Features The village has facilities such as a school, churches, community hall, convenience reta ...

County 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 ...

, O'Brien first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Laois minor team. He joined the senior panel during the 1952 championship. O'Brien later became a regular member of the starting fifteen, however, he ended his playing days without any Tier1 silverware, although he did win two NHL Div2 titles - 1960 & 1965. As a member of the

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

inter-provincial team on a number of occasions he won three

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () 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 and Ulster GAA teams are co ...

medals. At club level he was a five-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 sys ...

medallist with

. Throughout his career O'Brien made 24 championship appearances. He retired following the conclusion of the 1970 championship. O'Brien was regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time. He has often been voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including at full-forward on a special Hurling Team of the Century made up of players never to have won an

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...

medal. O'Brien died on 7 March 2022, at the age of 88.

Playing career

Club

O’Brien played his club hurling with his local

club and enjoyed much success. He was a key member of the club’s team when Borris-in-Ossory won its first senior county title in 1956. It was the first of three consecutive county titles for O’Brien and his club. He added two more county medals to his collection in 1960 and 1961.

Inter-county

O’Brien first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with the

minor hurling team. He had little success in this grade and made his senior debut in 1952. O’Brien’s senior inter-county career was a frustrating one as Laois were down the pecking order in terms of the hurling standard in

. In spite of winning the provincial title in 1949, Laois never appeared in another Leinster final. O’Brien continued playing with the county until 1970. Christy played his only Walsh Cup game in 1956 - then called the Leinster Council Senior Hurling Accident Fund Tournament - in Laois' first ever Walsh Cup game (against Kilkenny). O'Brien started in goals, but moved outfield for the second half. He played a total of 66 times for Laois (24 SHC, 41 NHL & 1 Walsh Cup). At the time of his retirement, his 41 league appearances were only behind Harry Gray (44) and Paddy Lalor (43) in terms of Laois records.

Championship appearances

Inter-provincial

O’Brien also lined out with

in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He won his first

medal in 1962 as Leinster defeated

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

. O’Brien won further Railway Cup medals in 1964 and 1965.

Honours

Player

;Borris-in-Ossory *

Laois Senior Hurling Championship The Laois Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Clough–Ballacolla are the title holders, de ...

(5): 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1972 ;Leinster *

(3): 1962, 1964, 1965 *Leinster Hall of Fame 2019 *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Christy 1933 births 2022 deaths Borris-in-Ossory hurlers Laois inter-county hurlers Leinster inter-provincial hurlers 20th-century Irish sportsmen