Frank Murphy on Jimmy Brohan's huge contribution to Cork hurling at club and county level

FORMER Cork County Board secretary Frank Murphy described the sad passing of Jimmy Brohan last week as a very sad occasion for his beloved Blackrock and the wider Cork GAA community.

Murphy, a fellow Blackrock clubman and lifelong friend of the former Rockies, Cork and Munster Railway Cup great, described him as a true club great who will never be forgotten in the great hurling home in Church Road.

Speaking to The Echo, the long-serving and very respected Cork administrator described the outstanding defender of the '50s and '60s as a very loyal man, first and foremost to his own beloved family and to the club that he served with such distinction throughout the many years of the association that he had with it.

“Yes, Jimmy and myself were close personal friends, somebody that I had tremendous admiration for, both as a person and outstanding hurler from a very young age.

“He was born in Ballintemple and went to school in Sullivan's Quay and it was there that he came in contact with the late Bro Bridges, a Wexford native who schooled him in the art of defensive play, putting the emphasis very much on fast delivery out of defence to prevent the opposition from capitalising on any hesitancy.

Jimmy quickly learned his trade and it wasn't very long before he was playing Dr Harty Cup hurling at the very young age of 16, in fact, he wasn't even 16 when he started.

“There was a famous match back in 1951, a Harty Cup semi-final between the Quay and the North Monastery, a very close, low-scoring encounter. It was just 1-2 apiece nearing the final whistle before Jimmy struck the winning point to give the Southside school the victory, one that sustained the school for many years afterwards."

It was very obvious then that a great career lay ahead for the young man and in 1953 when the Rockies bridged a gap of 25 years without a county senior title, he played a key role in the defeat of Glen Rovers.

“Indeed, Jimmy was still only a very young man but alongside his great friend and brother-in-law, Mick Cashman he played a starring role as the cup went back to the village.

"He won another county senior medal in 1961 and played until 1969 with the Rockies. He was also a very accomplished footballer, winning a junior and intermediate county medal with St Michael's and he captained Cork to a Munster junior title in 1957."

His feats with the Rockies were quickly recognised by various Cork selection committees and he subsequently went on to become a quality county defender for many years.

"His talent was spotted very early on and he was a dual Cork minor in 1953, joining the senior team that year as well and going on to win a Munster senior medal in 1954 and playing in the All-Ireland semi-final. Jimmy did not play in the final victory over Wexford but was on the team two years later in the famous '56 final when Wexford came out on top.

"Unfortunately, the county had some barren years after that but Jimmy continued his wonderful career with Munster in the Railway Cup, that competition back then was hugely popular and you would have anything up to 40,000 and more for a final in Croke Park between Munster and Leinster.

“He played in seven of those Railway Cup finals, winning six times, a massive achievement at the time."

When his glittering playing career ended, the Rockies stalwart went on to become a Cork senior selector of note and served in that role during the three-in-a-row years of '76, '77 and '78.

"As a selector, he was there alongside others, Christy Ring, Denis Murphy, Denis Hurley, Johnny Clifford, Tim Mullane and myself. 

The team was coached by Fr Bertie Troy with Kevin Kehily as trainer and it was a very successful period for Cork hurling and Jimmy made his own contribution to that.

"He gave fantastic service to the Rockies and to Cork, on and off the field. Down in Church Road he was a great coach with the younger players and he loved doing that. His service to the club was immense and he was very humbled when the club made him president in 2014 after the passing of Canon Michael O'Brien.

"That was a huge honour for him, an honour that he cherished and was hugely proud of until his death last week."

Alongside all of that, one of Cork hurling's true greats, he later became a very popular stile-man at major games, something that he enjoyed very much.

"Yes, he thoroughly enjoyed those occasions, often meeting up with old friends and players that he played with and against. His passing last week saddened us all very much and a week before I got into see him in hospital with another of his great friends, Roger Ryan.

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"He wasn't well but he was in very good humour, still swapping stories and it was great to be able to do that. He was hugely popular among all the players and I got a lovely text from Fr Paddy Barry after his passing. Fr Paddy visited him in hospital but had just gone back to Libreria before he died.

Yes, Jimmy was a very special man, a great Rockies man but first and foremost a great family man." 

On a personal level, Jimmy was always a great help to this writer, never refusing a call or a few words. A very genuine person who was so informative where hurling was concerned.

Going down to Church Road before a county final with the Rockies he was always present and loved to talk about the upcoming final.

His was a life so well lived on and off the GAA fields of this county and the other great hurling homes that he graced throughout the country.