DR JIM BROSNAN:DR JIM Brosnan, who has died aged 81, played Gaelic football with Kerry, a county where players are measured in terms of All-Ireland medals. By that exacting yardstick, he was revered for his immense contribution to the game both on and off the playing field.
In the annals of Kerry football, the Brosnans of Moyvane, at the northern end of the county, were a family to be reckoned with, and he was a powerful, direct and fearless player. Built like a tank, men hopped off him on the field.
The holder of two All-Ireland senior medals with Kerry, he won the first in 1953 and the second in 1955 when he was flown home for the game from New York, where he was advancing his medical studies at the time. He scored two second-half points that were to turn the classic game against Dublin in Kerry’s favour.
He also held three national league medals, three inter-varsity Sigerson Cup medals, two with UCC and one with UCD, and was named on the Sigerson Cup Team of the Century.
His brother Michael, also a doctor, who died in London last December aged 79, captained the Kerry minor team to All-Ireland success in 1950 and won a Sigerson Cup medal in 1952 and an All-Ireland senior medal in 1953. Along with their brother Jerry, the Brosnans were the backbone of the Moyvane team.
Their father, the legendary Con Brosnan, was an outstanding footballer with six senior All-Ireland medals to his name between 1923 and 1932. Significantly, although an officer in the Free State Army, he co-operated with former internee Joe Barrett, regarded as Kerry’s greatest full-back, in ironing out simmering Civil War animosities in the county.
Having blended rival factions from both sides of the political spectrum into a united and winning Kerry team, Barrett ceded his captaincy to Brosnan in 1931, leading to a life-long friendship.
Making the virtually unheard of move from Moyvane to Dingle, Dr Jim, as he was known locally, served as a GP in the west Kerry Gaeltacht where football is called “caid” and he became a fluent Irish speaker.
A man who spoke his mind, he could be direct, even brusque, but is remembered by former patients as an excellent and much-loved doctor. He also served as medical officer at St Elisabeth’s Hospital.
A story that he liked to tell, with a touch of Gaeltacht humour, involves an elderly patient who brought him two forms to sign: one was an eyesight certificate for renewal of his driving licence and the other was for the blind pension. He never divulged the outcome.
After retiring as a player, Dr Jim became chairman of the county board and proved a superb administrator. He played a pivotal role in creating a county league system for the Kerry clubs, giving the players a chance to play football throughout the year.
The envy of other counties, it has been a cornerstone of Kerry’s development as the most successful football county in the history of the GAA.
He also coached All-Ireland-winning Kerry minor teams in 1962 and 1963 and was instrumental in setting up Bord na nÓg to bring players at a young age into the county setting. He was also involved in the development of Austin Stack Park in Tralee.
A man before his time, he believed players were paramount to the success of the GAA and saw to it that their interests should not be neglected. Aptly, some of the greatest players of all time, among them Kerry’s Mick O’Connell and Seán O’Neill of Down, attended his funeral.
Having served the people of the Corcha Dhuibhne peninsula as a doctor for more than 40 years, he retired at the age of 75 in 2005.
He is survived by his wife Kitty, their sons Conor, Barry and Seán and his brother Jerry.
Dr Jim Brosnan: born January 24th, 1930; died December 3rd, 2011.