By Randal Scally
Garrett O’Brien was one of the happiest men in Croke Park last Sunday after seeing Offaly’s long wait for All-Ireland U20 / U21 football honours come to an end.
The 1988 All-Ireland U21 winning captain was thrilled to see fellow Shamrocks man Kieran Dolan emulate him by lifting the Tim Clarke Cup. Garrett skippered the Faithful County from full back to a 0-11 to 0-9 victory over Cavan 33 years ago after a marathon campaign that saw the Faithful play 10 games, three of which went to extra-time.
In last week’s Offaly Topic, the long-time Mullingar resident expressed the hope that his team would be able to “pass the baton” to the Class of 2021, and he got his wish after Declan Kelly’s men recorded an historic win over Roscommon.