The late Brendan Ward: a strong leader that Offaly GAA needed
By Kevin Egan
“People of Offaly, we are going to fight this, tooth and nail.”
These were the immortal words of Brendan Ward, Offaly GAA chairman in 1998 when Jimmy Cooney’s timekeeping error brought a premature end to the All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final between Offaly and Clare at Croke Park.
The absolute resolve of Ward’s statement resonated deeply, and while he followed his declaration with a request for the Offaly supporters that were protesting Clare’s ‘victory’ to vacate the pitch so the U-21 'B' hurling contest between Kerry and Kildare could take place (that match ended up being delayed by a week), it’s hard not to believe that he knew full well that there was no way anybody was leaving that pitch, barring an outbreak of fire, or lightning.
After all, there was no more proud and committed Offaly man than Brendan Ward then, and there has been none to surpass him since either. Would he have left the pitch, if he was one of those supporters who had climbed over the barriers from Hill 16 or the Cusack Stand? Doubtful.
The Durrow club man’s death on Saturday last sent waves of sadness reverberating around the county (ironically, the aforementioned Jimmy Cooney has since passed away also).
For those who played football or hurling, or served on a county or club executive during Ward's 14-year tenure as chairman, there was nothing but the height of respect and appreciation for a man that understood precisely well that for Offaly to overachieve as a county as much is it did in that time, what was needed was a decisive, strong leader who would tackle important issues head on.
Certainly there are times when moving forward by consensus and bringing everyone along through sharp political instincts is the ideal course of action, but the GAA is an organization built on passionate, partisan emotion, and there are times when diplomatic methods simply fail to work anymore. Ward’s tenure in the Offaly GAA chair saw many such incidents, and he never shied away from doing what he felt was in the best interests of the county, regardless of how many obstacles were placed in his way.
There were plenty of battles during his tenure, but he was relentless in his fervour and energy, and Offaly GAA saw the benefit of that time and again – and none more so than in 1998, when it’s entirely possible that another administrator might not have had the influence and the respect needed to ensure that the GAA made what was ultimately, the correct call to fix a replay.
As an impressionable and naïve 20-year-old, fired up with a passion that he embodied, I would have followed him into war that fateful August evening. A quarter of a century later, this middle-aged man is simply very grateful for the immense service that Brendan Ward gave to Offaly, and the part he played in the county's golden era. The county, his club, and his family and friends have lost a great man.