Historical talk in Birr on Sean Robbins

As part of Birr GAA Club’s weekend of celebration to mark the return of the Offaly senior hurling championship final to Grant Heating St Brendan’s Park, the club has organised an historical talk entitled ‘Sean Robbins - Flying the Faithful Flag’.

The County Arms Hotel is the venue on Friday, October 13, at 8pm for ‘Sean Robbins - Flying the Faithful Flag’.

The guest speaker will be renowned historian and author Aidan Doyle as he takes the audience on an insightful journey through the life and times of Sean Robbins, the man whose name is commemorated in Offaly hurling's most coveted prize.

Indeed, last week, Aidan from Ferbane, and his work colleague Anthony Ryan from Bloomhill, Ballinahown, were honoured at a special ceremony at Farmleigh House, hosted by the OPW, for coming to the assistance of a German tourist Michael Schaper, who collapsed and was discovered unresponsive at Clonmacnois heritage site in September 2022.

Mr Schaper and his wife Heinke returned to Clonmacnois this summer and were delighted to meet Aidan and Anthony whose speedy response and actions saved Michael’s life.

Friday’s ‘Sean Robbins - Flying the Faithful Flag’ event, which is free to attend, will also feature an interview with Birr GAA Club Life President Bro Denis Minehane who's posting to the town’s Presentation Brothers' college in 1961 coincided with a remarkable transformation in the hurling fortunes of Birr and Offaly in the decades that followed.

Offaly’s first hurling All Star in 1971, top goalkeeper Damien Martin previously said in an Irish Independent interview with Vincent Hogan, “If there hadn't been a Bro Denis, the Diarmuid Healys of this world would have been wasting their time. Because, with respect to Diarmuid, Bro Denis batted from nothing.''

Very high praise for the Cork native who says ‘he is Offaly now’ and the audience on Friday are sure to enjoy Bro Denis’ insights.