Person: Brendan O'Brien

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

sport

The CEO Series with Triatlon Ireland's Chris Kitchen: 'We are not going with the begging bowl, we want to deliver something'

Chris Kitchen will finish up as CEO of Triatlon Ireland in the coming months after eight hugely successful years. He tells Brendan O'Brien about the many ups as well as the recent downs brought on by the Covid-19 crisis and what's next.

sport

The CEO Series: Bernard O'Byrne - 'What is the damage to communities if Basketball Ireland or another organisation implodes?'

soccer

Moment in Time: Busby's Man United lose to Bohemians, but win over Irish hearts and minds

sport

The CEO Series: Fergal Carruth - 'We have a very real concern for many of our clubs'

rugby

Moment in Time: A miss Evans sent as Leinster turn the corner on European odyssey

sport

Michelle Carpenter: 'I don't think anyone realised how difficult this was going to be'

The day Peter Stringer pulled a fast one as Munster finally got over the line

The 2006 Heineken Cup final is poised at ten apiece. Peter Stringer is poised at the base of a scrum. This week's 'Moment In Time' sees Brendan O'Brien revisit one of the most famous scores in the history of Irish sport.

Wed, 03 Jun, 2020

Ray Houghton on Ireland's Wembley woes: 'I tried to be too precise, I should have smashed it home'

The Republic of Ireland have never won in six visits to Wembley. Brendan O'Brien looks back to the famous European Championship qualifier in March of 1991 when Ray Houghton had the chance to break that duck for this week's 'Moment In Time'

Wed, 27 May, 2020

When Harry Bradshaw was undone by Lady Luck and the brilliance of Bobby Locke

Harry Bradshaw's 'shot from a bottle' at the 1949 Open Championship has been immortalised as the moment that cost him the Claret Jug. It was and it wasn't, as Brendan O'Brien finds out for our latest 'Moment In Time' offering.

Wed, 20 May, 2020

Lean times: Personal trainers fight back by switching to online classes during lockdown

The fitness industry has been hit hard by coronavirus restrictions. But personal trainers are fighting back with the help of technology, says Brendan O'Brien

Thu, 14 May, 2020

Tom Moloughney: 'It was a great aul' Tipperary team, we should have won five-in-a-row'

It was the first All-Ireland final to be shown live on Telifis Eireann and the cameras had barely started rolling when Tipperary's Tom Moloughney found the Wexford net. Brendan O'Brien rewinds the tape back to 1962 for our 'Moment In Time' series

Wed, 13 May, 2020

Moment in Time: 'You come into it at 65kph and within 20 seconds you're down to 9kph'

September, 2012. Mark Rohan is ten seconds adrift of the leader in the Paralympic H1 Time Trial when he approaches the daunting incline that is Hailwood Hill at Brand's Hatch. Brendan O'Brien takes it from there in the third installment of our 'Moment In Time' series

Wed, 06 May, 2020

Moment in Time: ‘It could have kept going for another 30 yards after going over’

It's June 15, 2003. Laois are three points to the good against Dublin with two minutes of normal time to go in their Leinster semi-final when Pádraig Clancy takes to the skies. Brendan O'Brien takes up the story for the second instalment in our 'Moment in Time' series

Tue, 28 Apr, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Sponsors and TV companies scrambling to comb through contracts

That screeching sound we all heard last month was the brakes being pulled on the $500bn (€462bn) global sports industry.

Mon, 27 Apr, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Michael McKillop - ‘Sport is just a part of people’s lives, it’s not the be all and end all’

Michael McKillop would dearly love to add a fourth Paralympics appearance to his CV but the four-time gold medallist is all too aware that the Games may not go ahead even after being shunted back to the summer of 2021

Fri, 24 Apr, 2020

Net gain: The evening Stapleton back-heeled a vital goal for the Republic

For every Packie Bonner penalty save or immortal score in a Munster hurling final there are a million more half-remembered but magical moments that had us leaping from from our seats. Brendan O'Brien kicks off a weekly 'Moment in Time' series by digging up memories of a dramatic ending to a difficult day in Malta 37 years ago.

Wed, 22 Apr, 2020

Brendan O'Brien interviews his childhood hero Frank Stapleton for Brendan Courtney’s new show, Keys to my Life

There’s something deliciously nosy about being shown around other people’s houses.

Tue, 14 Apr, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: A low-key coronation but Stephen Kenny has plans to excite

MAYBE it was appropriate given how the world itself has been turned upside down that Stephen Kenny’s ‘unveiling’ as Republic of Ireland manager earlier this week was done in the sort of furtive fashion more akin to a sacking.

Fri, 10 Apr, 2020

John Caulfield: You know what you’ll get with Stephen Kenny

John Caulfield thinks it's a great time for Stephen Kenny to be taking over the national team.

Mon, 06 Apr, 2020

Podcast: Kenny's live — is this the dawn of a new era in Irish football?

Irish Examiner soccer writers Liam Mackey and Brendan O'Brien join Larry Ryan to discuss the FAI handover from Mick McCarthy to Stephen Kenny.

Mon, 06 Apr, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Paralympic Games postponement just latest adaptation required of Timothy

CAN’T do this, can’t go there.

Fri, 27 Mar, 2020

Darragh Greene: ‘It’s the biggest of all possible roadblocks but we have to adapt as we always do’

Darragh Greene was in Dublin Airport when the world turned on its axis. The Longford swimmer and the rest of the senior national squad were in departures, poised to fly out to a meet in Scotland, when the acting Taoiseach delivered his address — and everything changed utterly, writes Brendan O'Brien.

Thu, 19 Mar, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Pauw's team edge one step closer to a seismic leap

Declan McBennett, RTE’s head of sport, spoke earlier this week about the national station’s coverage of last year’s Women World Cup and his sense that the tournament had proven to be a Rubicon moment for female sport around the globe.

Fri, 06 Mar, 2020

Barrett's red, 'frightening' Powter, and Cork's forwards: The weekend’s GAA talking points

Our writers chat through the main talking points from the weekend’s Allianz League action.

Sun, 01 Mar, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Is Ross Byrne the most underappreciated rugby player in Ireland?

Joey Carbery’s wretched situation also lends itself to another theory: That Ross Byrne is the most underappreciated player on this island right now.

Fri, 28 Feb, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: As good a time as any for Ireland to visit Lions’ den

Twickenham is a strange mix of the magnificent and the meh.It’s an oddly unloveable place but maybe that’s just down to experience, writes Brendan O'Brien.

Thu, 20 Feb, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Absent Gatland casts long shadow over Aviva as Wales come to town

After 12 years and 151 tests in charge of Wales, Warren Gatland’s Super Rugby coaching career with the Chiefs began with a remarkable comeback victory over the Blues in Auckland.

Thu, 06 Feb, 2020

Leave hurling alone, Meath's 11 keepers, and Cork statements: The weekend’s GAA talking points

Our writers pick out the main talking points from the weekend’s Allianz League action.

Sun, 02 Feb, 2020

Escape to victory against Scots not a good look for the new Ireland

It may have been Hogg with the schoolboy error but Ireland's report card is clear: must do better, writes Brendan O'Brien.

Sat, 01 Feb, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Global issues take a back seat as Andy Farrell's Ireland brace for familiar foe

But imagine, in the context of what we saw late last year in Japan, had Ireland gone and won those hosting rights.

Thu, 30 Jan, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Theatre of Dreams? Maybe if you’re in the away dressing-room

IT said it all about the predicament in which Manchester United find themselves that their 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Old Trafford on Wednesday night felt like a huge deal for the visitors but, in a very strange way, just more of the same for those home supporters who clogged the exits with ten minutes still to play.

Fri, 24 Jan, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Finding balance between ‘Faz’ and ‘Boss’

Bob Paisley didn’t want the job of Liverpool manager in 1974.

Fri, 17 Jan, 2020

Brendan O'Brien: Portlaoise success story deserves a helping hand

BRAND recognition has never been Irish basketball’s strong suit. Clubs have come and clubs have gone down the years, many of them victims of the painfully thin margins on which they exist. Others have withstood long financial winters by donning the name of whatever sponsor can come up with the goods to keep the wolf from the door.

Fri, 10 Jan, 2020

Isn't sport a wonderful thing?: Our writers pick out the moments - and the people - who inspired us in 2019

As the curtain falls on 2019, we asked our writers to share the moment which encapsulated all that is good about sport this year..

Mon, 30 Dec, 2019

Brendan O'Brien: How America’s Game points the way for GAA

This was a game between two of the sport’s best. It stood to reason that everyone wanted to see it happen.

Fri, 06 Dec, 2019

Brendan O'Brien: Must do better - Why do we ask the impossible of referees?

Whatever your taste in sports, odds are it has been soured at times by a decision from a referee or an official of some other hue. Bill White, a former baseball player and commentator, got it just right when he said that umpiring is tough because, no matter what the decision, you’re always half-wrong.

Fri, 29 Nov, 2019

Ireland need to become more comfortable in chaos

While monitoring the fortunes of the Irish rugby team over the past month — indeed, the past year and a half — my mind has often thought back to something that came up at the inaugural Movement and Skill Acquisition Ireland conference in Cork IT in April 2018.

Wed, 23 Oct, 2019

England being spied on at training, claims Jones

England’s build-up to their World Cup semi-final against New Zealand took a theatrical turn yesterday after Eddie Jones claimed that their training session was spied upon.

Tue, 22 Oct, 2019

RWC Inquest podcast: How did a team so good at the ABCs become almost shambolic?

Irish Examiner rugby writers Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis look back at where it all went wrong for Ireland.

Mon, 21 Oct, 2019

Rugby World Cup Podcast: Buying into the confidence in the air around Irish camp

Irish Examiner rugby writers Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis look ahead to the World Cup quarter-final meeting with New Zealand.

Fri, 18 Oct, 2019

RWC Podcast: Ireland in a good place but All Blacks built for knockout rugby

Irish Examiner rugby writers Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis look ahead to the World Cup quarter-finals.

Mon, 14 Oct, 2019

RWC19 Podcast: Integrity at stake as World Cup blown off course. ROG on how Schmidt's first XV has emerged

Irish Examiner rugby writers Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis on a World Cup weekend in disarray.

Thu, 10 Oct, 2019

Rugby World Cup Podcast: 'It's beginning to look like Scotland was the blip'

Irish Examiner rugby writers Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis try hard to extract the positives from Ireland's scrappy World Cup win over Russia.

Fri, 04 Oct, 2019

#RWC Newsletter: From ROG to Lenihan to Con Houlihan...and media in the buff

Not that Ireland haven’t enough to be getting on with, but there was little evidence in Scotland’s 34-0 defeat of Samoa in Kobe today that Gregor Townsend’s men are ready to rain on Japan’s World Cup parade come their decisive Pool A clash at the World Cup on Sunday October 13th.

Mon, 30 Sep, 2019

RWC19 Podcast: The Japan inquest. ‘Only so many times you can bounce back before getting a headache’