Passage G.A.A. Club Hall of Fame - Eddie O'Brien
Eddie O'Brien
Eddie O'Brien was the third member of the Passage 1959 U-15 team to graduate to perform with distinction on the national stage.
"Eddio" as he was popularly known, first came to prominence in 1963 when he lined out for the
Cork minor hurlers at corner forward against Clare. This team however did not get out of Munster
so Eddio had to bide his time before he grabbed the attention of the Cork Hurling followers.
Just two years later he joined his club mate Justin McCarthy on the Cork senior team against
Waterford in the Munster senior championship. Eddio was one of the Cork stars in a drawn match
and also performed admirably in the replay, which Cork won. A heavy defeat to Tipperary in the
Munster Final kept Eddio waiting a while longer for a provincial medal.
While Cork made the historic breakthrough in 1966, surprisingly he was not part of the team or
panel but he did not have to wait long to put down his marker. Just three weeks after the senior
success a Cork U-21 team, full of star names, emerged after three epic games with Wexford as All-Ireland champions.
In all these games Eddio played a staring role, which led to more questions about his omission from the senior team.
It was another three years before Cork emerged from Munster and this time a Certain E. O'Brien
was well established at corner forward. Once again however Eddio suffered a great injustice at the hands of the
Cork selectors when he was replaced at half time. Cork lost and exactly twelve months later Eddio had the
opportunity to right what he perceived to be a grave wrong.
Certainly the All-Ireland final of 1970 between cork and Wexford will be a game that Eddie O'Brien
and his Passage supporters will never forget. A brilliant tally of three goals and a point by the
Passage corner forward inspired Cork to a comprehensive victory over the Slaney men. Interestingly
his club mate Pat Quigley who lined out at center forward for Wexford scored two goals himself. The question
has often been asked whether any two players from the one club have ever scored as much as five goals and one
point in an All-Ireland senior final. There is certainly no recorded evidence of it.
Despite his prowess with the Cork hurlers many of Eddio's contemporaries in the Passage Club would
claim he was a better footballer than a hurler and arguably the clubs greatest footballer.
Before ever Maurice Fitzgerald had kicked a ball for Kerry Eddio had perfected the skill of kicking frees
from the ground with either left or right foot as the occasion demanded. When Passage won its first ever City
Division football championship title in 1969 Eddio kicked the winning point against Douglas from a sideline kick from almost an impossible angle.
Unfortunately for the Passage club Eddio at the height of his playing career immigrated to the USA where he still resides.