Tom Breen

Tom Breen discusses growing up with the GAA at time when the social opportunities available to young people in Monageer were limited. He provides background information on Gaelic games in Monageer and charts the beginning of his involvement in school, with the club and on holidays with family in Dublin. Breen is frank in his account of the highs and lows of his hurling career with Monageer, with UCD and, for a brief spell, with the Wexford senior team. He charts the gradual slide into retirement as his priorities shifted from hurling to work and he began drinking. Breen moved from being a player to a club mentor and administrator and sheds light on issues that affect all clubs, including grounds development and initiatives that were undertaken to finance it, and the management of underage teams. In addition, Breen reveals his attitude to volunteering, to the coexistence of Gaelic games with other sports and the demands currently placed on the GAA’s top players. He concludes by selecting his best and worst moments in the GAA as well as his most admired club and county teams.