*Niall O’Brien. Photograph: Martin Cooper
A twenty year old with strong links to Broadford has died tragically in Greece.
Niall O’Brien died overnight after he was struck while holidaying on the island of Ios in Greece.
He had been on holidays with a group of 20 friends when the incident occurred. His body is to be taken to Athens where a post-mortem is to be carried out.
Originally from Castletroy, Niall was a student at the University of Limerick where he was about to enter fourth year studying financial maths. He worked part-time behind the bar at Castletroy Golf Club where he was a member.
On the hurling field, Niall lined out with Broadford where his father Mike hailed from. Niall was the star man for the club in 2019 when they defeated Newmarket-on-Fergus in the U21B decider, he hit 1-11 in the replay to see Broadford claim the title for the first time in fourteen years.
Consular assistance is being provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs to his family which includes his parents Mike and Anne plus his three brothers, Cian, Eoin and Alan.
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust has confirmed it was liaising with the deceased’s family in order to help arrange to repatriate his remains home for burial.
In a statement, Broadford GAA said, “It is with a broken heart that Broadford Hurling Club are in deep mourning at the sad passing of one our great characters and players”. It added, “Niall, along with his three brothers, has given great service to Broadford Hurling club. Niall has played all grades with the club, having only lined out for a win with our adult teams as recently as last week. Niall was seen as an extremely talented prospect and we will never forget his ‘Man of the Match’ winning performance when scoring 1-11 to win the U21B county final in 2019”.
“Niall’s large circle of friends will remember him as a hugely popular, larger than life character. Niall was at the centre of every gathering, whether it be sporting or socially, and his good humour and witty comments kept everybody entertained. Both Broadford and Monaleen will be a much sadder place without him”.
