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Edward Joseph Brennan (born 2 October 1978) is an Irish people hurling manager and former player. His league and championship career with the Kilkenny GAA senior team lasted twelve seasons from 2000 until 2011. Brennan was the manager of the Laois senior hurling team from 2019 to 2020.
Brennan played competitive hurling in his final year at St Kieran's College, having earlier come to prominence as a dual player at minor levels with the Graigue–Ballycallan club. He won dual championship medals with the minor and under-21 teams, before later joining the club's junior team. Brennan eventually made the break onto the Graigue–Ballycallan senior team and won a Leinster medal in 2000, having earlier won a county senior championship medal.
Brennan made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty when he was selected for the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won an All-Ireland medal in this grade in 1999. He made his senior debut during the 2000 league. Over the course of the following twelve seasons Brennan won eight All-Ireland medals, beginning with a lone triumph in 2000, back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003, a record-equalling four championships in-a-row from 2006 to 2009 and a final winners' medal in 2011. He also won eleven Leinster medals and five National Hurling League medals. Brennan played his last game for Kilkenny in September 2011 and announced his retirement on 14 January 2012.
After being chosen on the Leinster GAA inter-provincial team for the first time in 2002, Brennan was a regular on the starting fifteen at various times until 2009. During that time he won four Railway Cup medals.
In retirement from playing Brennan combined his policing career with a new position as a sports broadcaster. His media career began with RTÉ in 2012, where he started as a studio analyst with the flagship programme the Sunday Game.
Even during his playing days Brennan came to be recognised as one of the greatest players of his era. As one of the most prolific goal-scorers of the decade, he won four All Star Awards, three Gaelic Players' Awards and was a nominee for Hurler of the Year in 2008. Brennan was named as one of the 125 greatest stars of the GAA as part of the GAA 125 celebrations in 2009, the same year he was selected at right corner-forward on the Leinster team of the past twenty-five years.
Brennan subsequently joined the Graigue–Ballycallan junior team, however, he found it difficult to break onto the club's senior team. In spite of this he won a Kilkenny Senior Championship medal as a non-playing substitute on 1 November 1998 after a 1-14 to 0-12 defeat of Fenians GAA.
On 15 October 2000, Brennan scored two points from play when Graigue–Ballycallan won a second Kilkenny Championship in three years after a 0-16 to 0-09 defeat of O'Loughlin Gaels in the final. Later that season he won a Leinster Championship medal at left corner-forward after a 0-14 to 1-08 defeat of UCD GAA in the decider. On 16 April 2001, Brennan scored four points from play in Graigue–Ballycallan's 3-24 to 2-19 extra-time defeat by Athenry GAA in the All-Ireland final.
Brennan later played for Graigue–Ballycallan in the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship after the team was relegated, before lining out for the club's second team in the Kilkenny Junior Championship.
On 8 July 2001, Brennan won a second consecutive Leinster Championship medal after being introduced as a second-half substitute for Denis Byrne in 2-19 to 0-12 defeat of Wexford in the final.
Brennan saw much game time during the 2002 National League and played in all seven of Kilkenny's games, including scoring two points in the 2-15 to 2-14 defeat of Cork GAA in the league final on 5 May 2002. He later won a third Leinster Championship medal after a 0-19 to 0-17 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 8 September 2002, Brennan started in his first All-Ireland final and scored one point on the way to collecting his second winners' medal in the 2-20 to 0-19 defeat of Clare GAA.
On 5 May 2003, Brennan was described as having his "best day ever" in a Kilkenny jersey when he scored 1-03 and won his second successive National League medal after a 5-15 to 5-14 defeat of Tipperary GAA in the final. He later won a third successive Leinster Championship medal after scoring 1-01 in a 2-23 to 2-12 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 7 September 2003, Brennan lined out in his fourth All-Ireland final, however, having been Kilkenny's main strike forward up to then, he had "a shocker, hardly touching the ball and hardly managing a single clean strike". He was substituted by Jimmy Coogan in the 70th minute but still won a third All-Ireland medal after a 1-14 to 1-11 defeat of Cork. In spite of a disappointing display in the final, Brennan's performances throughout the year were rewarded with an All Star Award.
Brennan lined out against Cork in his fourth All-Ireland final on 12 September 2004. After missing a goal chance in the first half, he was held scoreless for the rest of the game which ended with a 0-17 to 0-09 defeat for Kilkenny.
On 2 May 2005, Brennan came on as a substitute for Richie Power and scored two points in Kilkenny's National League final defeat of Clare. He later scored two points on the way to collecting his fifth Leinster Championship medal after a 0-22 to 1-16 defeat of Wexford in the final.
On 1 July 2007, Brennan won a seventh Leinster Championship medal after scoring a point in the 2-24 to 1-12 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 2 September 2007, he was at right wing-forward for the All-Ireland final against Limerick. Brennan was the game's top scorer with 1-05 from play and won his fifth All-Ireland winners' medal and was named man of the match after a 2-19 to 1-15 victory. He ended the season with a third All Star Award.
Brennan won a seventh Leinster Championship medal on 6 July 2008 after scoring 2-02 from play in a 5-21 to 0-17 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 7 September 2008, he scored 2-04 from play and won his sixth All-Ireland medal after a 3-30 to 1-13 defeat of Waterford GAA in the All-Ireland final. Brennan was later named as the man of the match. He ended the year by winning a fourth All Star Award, while he was also a nominee for Hurler of the Year.
After playing in all of Kilkenny's group stage games during the 2009 National League, Brennan won a fifth league winners' medal on 3 May 2009 after a 4-17 to 2-26 extra time defeat of Tipperary in the final. He described the victory as one of his career favourites. He later won an eighth Leinster Championship medal after a 2-18 to 0-18 defeat of Dublin, however, he was substituted in the 62nd minute after scoring only one point from play. On 6 September 2009, Brennan was at right wing-forward for the All-Ireland final against Tipperary. He was most prominent in the first half and scored three points from play in a 2-22 to 0-23 victory. It was his seventh All-Ireland winners' medal while it was also a record-equalling fourth successive title for Kilkenny.
Brennan scored a total of 4-10 after starting in all eight of Kilkenny's games, including the final defeat by Dublin, during their unsuccessful National League campaign in 2011. In the subsequent Leinster Championship, he came on as a substitute in the 1-26 to 1-15 semi-final defeat of Wexford, however, Brennan won his 11th provincial winners' medal as a non-playing substitute following a 4-17 to 1-15 win over Dublin. It was his first time in his career that he failed to score in a Leinster Championship campaign. After coming on as a substitute in the All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Waterford, Brennan returned to the starting fifteen at right wing-forward for the All-Ireland final against Tipperary on 4 September 2011. In the second half of the game, he was instrumental in the scoring of Kilkenny's second goal by making an attacking run and laying off the ball to eventual scorer Richie Hogan to give Kilkenny an eight-point lead. Kilkenny went on to win the game by 2-17 to 1-16, with Brennan winning his eighth All-Ireland medal.
After a number of seasons off the team, Brennan returned to the Leinster team again and lined out in his second final as captain of the team on 28 October 2006. He scored six points in total as Leinster defeated Connacht by 1-23 to 0-17.
Brennan won a third Railway Cup winners' medal on 1 November 2008 after Leinster's 1-15 to 1-12 defeat of Munster in the final.
On 14 March 2009, Brennan lined out with Leinster for the final time. He won his fourth Railway Cup winners' medal after scoring three points in Leinster's 3-18 to 1-17 defeat of Connacht in the final.
In his second season in charge, Brennan guided Kilkenny to the Leinster Championship title after a 0-30 to 1-15 defeat of Wexford GAA in the final. On 9 September 2017, Kilkenny suffered a six-point defeat by Limerick GAA in the All-Ireland final. Brennan later stepped down as manager of the team.
Laois's National League campaign saw the team qualify for the knock-out stages after a defeat of Offaly GAA and a draw with Carlow GAA in Division 1B. Their league campaign ended at the quarter-final stage after a 2-22 to 0-11 defeat of eventual champions Limerick GAA.
Prior to the start of the Joe McDonagh Cup, Brennan received a boost when Ross King returned to the panel. After remaining undefeated in the group stage following three wins and a draw, Laois qualified to play Westmeath GAA in the final on 30 June 2019. Laois ended the game as champions following a 3-16 to 1-21 victory which guaranteed their entry to the All-Ireland Championship. On 7 July 2019, Laois recorded a shock 1-22 to 0-23 defeat of Dublin GAA to qualify for a first All-Ireland quarter-final since 1979 a week later. Laois's season ended with a 2-25 to 1-18 defeat by Tipperary GAA.
A post-season interview by Brennan with Colm Parkinson on The GAA Hour podcast caused controversy as certain "off the record" elements in which he was severely critical of the Laois GAA were broadcast in error. Brennan stepped down as manager on 24 November 2020. The podcast controversy over his criticisms of county board officials was cited during media coverage of his resignation.
In December 2009 Brennan married Olivia Ryan from Portroe, County Tipperary. Brennan's side had defeated Tipperary in the All-Ireland final earlier that year.
Brennan has been an analyst on The Sunday Game for their coverage of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since 2012.
| Kilkenny GAA | 2000 | Division 1 | 5-03 |
| 2001 | 3-02 | ||
| 2002 | 4-22 | ||
| 2003 | 6-15 | ||
| 2004 | 8-17 | ||
| 2005 | 3-11 | ||
| 2006 | 1-07 | ||
| 2007 | 5-28 | ||
| 2008 | 5-23 | ||
| 2009 | 2-21 | ||
| 2010 | 2-03 | ||
| 2011 | 4-12 | ||
| + Managerial league-championship record by team and tenure | ||
| Laois GAA | 10 September 2018 | 24 November 2020 |
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