In our final player profile in the build-up to the Clare Junior A championship hurling final tomorrow (yes, tomorrow!) against the Parish, St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield out in Tulla at 1.30 pm, we feature the team’s captain, Rory Brennan. Now, I must first declare my affinity to this player as he is my son so, please forgive any bias.

While Rory has been knocking around the Eire Og adult team’s scene since 2017, he is still only a young lad at 22 years of age. Outside of the playing realm, he has had an outstanding year with graduating from the University of Limerick in August with a first-class honor's degree in Electronic Engineering (thankfully, he gets his brains from his mother) and started his first job in industry with Genesys, up in Galway writing code in the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) space. An exciting new chapter in his life has just started.

Rory Brennan letting the ball into the forwards in the semifinal against Claerecastle

Rory was a member of the last Eire Og Junior A winning squad in 2018. As a dual player in the club, 2018 was a highlight for Rory as he picked up 2 Championship winner’s medal for Junior A hurling and football, 2 league winners medals for Junior and Senior football – all while doing his leaving certificate. Even though he has garnered more football honors with the club to date, Rory’s first love is hurling (maybe that’s his Cork roots coming through).

Clearing the ball against Crusheen

Like Marc O’Donnell, Rory’s style of leadership is to lead by example rather than cajoling or exhorting the team. He is more likely to be seen on Saturday tidying up in front of defense and laying the ball off to the forwards to score; the kind of unheralded work that never makes the highlight reels but is necessary for any successful team. As an interesting side note to tomorrow’s final, for the past 4 years Rory shared a house down in UL with a lad, Eoghan Perrill, who will be in the Doora-Barefield defense on Saturday next. Small world indeed! Let’s get out and support Rory and the lads in red tomorrow at 1.30 out in Tulla! Here’s Rory Brennan -

1. Name – Rory Brennan

2. Position – Midfield (Ex. cornerback)

3. Occupation/Career - Software Engineer

4. Date of Birth/Age – 22

5. Where were you born – Cork

6. When did you start hurling – 3/4 years of age

7. Biggest influence on your career to date – Maistir Eoghan from the Gaelscoil and my dad, the photographer Mike Brennan

8. When did you start playing with Eire Og – U13

9. Cups/trophies to date - Football: 1 x Junior A, 1 x U21A, 1 x Minor A, 1 x U16B, 1 x Senior B and Hurling: 1 x Junior A, 1 x U12 C Shield

10. Have you played for Clare/intercounty – Clare development squads up to U17

11. Favorite thing about Eire Og - St. Stephens Day Tournament

12. What other sports have/do you play (besides hurling)- Gaelic Football, Genesys Ireland Table Tennis aficionado

13. What's your favorite TV show/film- Game of Thrones

14. Favorite music – Blue is the Colour

15. Favorite meal - Spaghetti and Pesto

16. What 3 people, alive or dead, would you invite for a drink & why – Steph Curry, TJ Reid, Ray Allen because they could teach me how to score.

17. What would you change about the current GAA & why - Get rid of black cards in football, handicapping full backs everywhere.

18. What are your hobbies and interests outside the GAA - Partial to a sea swim, self-proclaimed Rocket League King of 193 Bru na Gruadan.

19. What's the best piece of advice you ever received - “You’ve had two pints now; we might as well go on the Captain Morgans” - Colin Reidy

20. What's your favorite sporting memory - Rice College Munster B final, 2017

21. In 5 years’, time I hope to be – actually moved out of my parents’ house

Hands up if you are going to Tulla tomorrow at 1.30 pm to see the Townies in action???