Tony Brennan
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Tónaí Ó Braonáin | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Full-back | ||
| Born |
13 January 1916 Clonoulty, County Tipperary |
||
| Died | 4 November 1965 (aged 49) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Clonoulty-Rossmore | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
| 1939-1953 | Tipperary | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 4 | ||
| All-Irelands | 3 | ||
| NHL | 3 | ||
James Anthony Brennan (13 January 1916 – 4 November 1965), better known as Tony Brennan, was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Clonoulty-Rossmore and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1953. Brennan is regarded as one of Tipperary’s greatest-ever players.
Tony Brennan was born in Clonoulty, County Tipperary in 1916 to a family steeped in sporting history. His uncles, on his father's side, were outstanding athletes in their day in their native place of Boyle, County Roscommon. A maternal uncle was Phil Byrne who won four All-Ireland hurling medals with Tipperary in 1895, 1896, 1898 and in 1899. Another uncle, Tom Byrne, won two All-Ireland football medals with Dublin in 1892 and 1894.
Brennan became interested in hurling at a young age, however, his career as a hurler almost ended when he fractured his skull at the age of twelve. After spending three weeks in hospital he recovered and was able to resume his playing career.
Brennan was educated at the local national school and later attended Thurles CBS where his hurling skills were further developed. In 1930 he was a member of the Dean Ryan Cup team and was full-back on the team that won the first ever Harty Cup for the school in 1933. Brennan’s final year of secondary school took him to Rockwell College where he won numerous honours for being an outstanding athlete in 1935. That same year he played for the college's Harty Cup team, however, his side was beaten in the final by the North Monastery from Cork. At that time the All-Ireland colleges' championship was played on an inter-provincial basis and Brennan was selected for Munster on four occasions from 1931 to 1935.
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