Offaly GAA is in mourning following the passing of its life president, Brendan Ward.

The Durrow man was one of the most respected GAA administrators in the country, serving as Offaly GAA chairman from 1989 to 2002. He was life president since 2003 when he succeeded former GAA president John Dowling, and was also a selector with the 1988 Offaly All-Ireland U21-winning football team.

In a statement, Offaly GAA said it was "deeply saddened" to learn of Brendan’s passing and extended sympathy to his family and his club. As a mark of respect, all games fixed for yesterday were postponed, including his beloved Durrow’s SFC Group 1 clash with Ferbane. Part of the local farming community, Brendan was an outstanding administrator who was never afraid to make tough decisions. One such example came in 1998 when he asked the then Offaly hurling manager Michael ‘Babs’ Keating to step down following his infamous ‘sheep in a heap’ remark following a heavy Leinster final defeat by Kilkenny.

The Tipperary legend was replaced by the little-known Michael Bond from Galway who duly picked the Faithful County up by the bootstraps and led them to a famous All-Ireland final victory over Kilkenny via the ‘backdoor’. They needed three attempts to beat Clare in the semi-final, with the third instalment only happening after a re-fixture was ordered after referee Jimmy Cooney had mistakenly blown up time early in the first replay.

Clare were leading by three points at the time and thousands of Offaly supporters made their feelings known by staging an impromptu sit-down protest on the field in Croke Park. They only left after Ward took the microphone in the Ard Comhairle box and said: “Ladies and gentlemen of Offaly, I thank you for your support. We are going to fight this tooth and nail, but I'm asking you to leave the pitch quietly. There is another match due here.”

The match he was referring to, an All-Ireland U21HC ‘B’ final between Kildare and Kerry, had to be postponed.

Brendan’s tenure as chairman coincided with one of the most successful periods in Offaly GAA history. The county won All-Ireland SHC titles in 1994 and ’98 as well as Leinster SHC titles in 1989, ’90, ’94 and ’95. Offaly also claimed a surprise Leinster SFC title in 1997 under Tommy Lyons along with Leinster U21HC titles in 1989, ’91, ’92 and 2000, a Leinster U21FC title in 1995, Leinster and All-Ireland MHC titles in 1989, another Leinster MHC title in 2000 and a Leinster MFC title in 1989.

Offaly GAA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Life President Brendan Ward, R.I.P.

Mr Ward was a long-serving Chairperson of Offaly GAA between 1989 and 2002 and was a selector when Offaly won the All-Ireland U21 Football Championship in 1988.

Offaly GAA extends… pic.twitter.com/UJEAhir08T

— Official Offaly GAA (@Offaly_GAA) July 30, 2023

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