Columns - Irish Examiner

Brendan O'Brien

Among the scandals dogging Rio, Irish hockey is already an uplifting success

Drugs, bugs, refuseniks, and a troubled host city: it really hasn’t been the smoothest of rides so far for Rio 2016, writes Brendan O’Brien

Fri, 22 Jul, 2016

Fight for survival in Europe’s backyard

As work trips go, it was up there with the more memorable.

Fri, 15 Jul, 2016

Running riot with transfer procedure

Were Fionnuala McCormack a footballer she would stand with that clichéd cohort of players who ‘let their boots do the talking’ so it was some shock to wake up yesterday to the spiky sights and sounds of the Irish long-distance runner dropping an f-bomb and calling out the nationality rules in athletics as “a joke”.

Fri, 08 Jul, 2016

Memories from an amazing 20 days that will never be forgotten

The Irish may have been lauded for their knack of sweeping whole cities off their feet with that rum mix of charm and alcohol, but the Euro party to which this country contributed so handsomely hasn’t missed a beat in our absence as all but a few die-hards returned home to life on Civvy Street and a watching brief, writes Brendan O'Brien.

Fri, 01 Jul, 2016

Robbie Brady celebrates after the game 22/6/2016

A sober moment to see what others think of us

Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy, like so many of the stadia hosting games at these European Championships, is an architectural delight but it earns the appreciation of drivers on the adjacent motorway far more often than the city’s denizens thanks to its location miles out from the ‘centre ville’, writes Brendan O’Brien

Fri, 24 Jun, 2016

Surreal days and nights in France

It was only 6.30am last Monday when one Northern Ireland fan, still very much the worse for wear after a night that may not have ended, spotted a couple of guys from south of the border wearing their different shades of green and felt the urge to cover the length of the train station concourse in Nice in less time than an Olympic sprinter to have his say, writes Brendan O’Brien.

Fri, 17 Jun, 2016

Ireland won’t want for spirit in #Euro2016 ... or anything else

Versailles looks the ideal base for team Ireland. The distance between the hotel and training ground is minimal and there will be no repeat of the suffocating proximity of Sopot four years ago, writes Brendan O’Brien

Fri, 10 Jun, 2016

Little in the way of southern comfort beyond Euro 2016

Get beyond the feelgood factor as Euro 2016 looms and there is real cause for concern for the Republic of Ireland when attention turns to a tough-looking World Cup qualifying campaign, writes Brendan O’Brien

Fri, 03 Jun, 2016