"He was the patriarch of our club" - tributes paid to late Jimmy Brohan

Blackrock and Cork hurling are in mourning at the passing of the legendary Jimmy Brohan at the age of 88.

An All-Ireland hurling winner with Cork in 1954, Brohan won county SHC titles with Blackrock in 1956 and 1965. He won six Railway Cup hurling medals with Munster and a county JFC with St Michael’s in 1956. At the time of his death, Brohan was Blackrock’s president.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our club president Jimmy Brohan,” the club said. “A legend of our club both on and off the pitch and friend and mentor to so many of us.”

After his retirement, Brohan was a selector on Cork teams that won the All-Ireland in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1986, when his nephew Tom Cashman captained the side to victory.

A statement from Cork GAA noted how “Jimmy played his part in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and at county grounds around Munster as a steward and stiles.

“His beloved Blackrock honoured him with the naming of The Jimmy Brohan Hurling Alley after him.”

Blackrock stalwart Roger Ryan, who won a county medal with Brohan in 1961, remembered somebody who was a great man as a much as a great hurler.

“When I came to Cork from Tallow in the 1960s, I was staying in digs on the Old Blackrock Road,” he said, “and the first two people to welcome me to Blackrock were Jimmy Brohan and Ned Cotter, the chairman.

“He was the face of the club. With no disrespect to anyone, himself and John Bennett were two of the greatest ambassadors the club had.

“If you were at any function with Jimmy, you had to go away into the background because he was so popular. Nobody, friend or foe, ever had a bad word to say about him.

“He was coaching up until a few years ago and there was no better man to be president of the club.

“Right up to the end, in CUH and then Marymount, he would contact me on the morning of a match, regardless of the fixture, to tell me to pass on his best wishes.

“He was the patriarch of the club. Everybody knew him and respected him.”

Brohan’s nephew Tom Cashman echoed those views.

“He was first and foremost a family man,” he said, “a fantastic father and grandfather, which was the main thing.

“He was a great character. He didn’t drink or smoke, but that never stopped him having the craic and he was a great singer.

“He was a real gentleman and he’ll be a huge loss, not alone to his family but Blackrock people in general. He was a huge support to everybody.

“He was always Cork, Blackrock, St Michael’s and loved going to matches. Apart from his work on the field and as a selector – which speaks for itself – his family always came first, which is a great sign of a man.”