Brendan O'Brien
@brendanobrien1.bsky.social
Sportswriter, digital journalist and assistant sports editor with the @irishexaminer.bsky.social
Partial to a Deportivo La Coruna game and Padrón peppers
Partial to a Deportivo La Coruna game and Padrón peppers
Meet the four athletes competing for Ireland at next month's Winter Olympics...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Meet the Team Ireland athletes competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics
The quartet was announced on Thursday afternoon ahead of the Milan-Cortina Games that get underway with the opening ceremony on February 6th
www.irishexaminer.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Meet the four athletes competing for Ireland at next month's Winter Olympics...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Reposted by Brendan O'Brien
Took 20 minutes to chat through all the news and views from the Edinburgh launch of this year's Six Nations with Simon Lewis
Ireland's prop crisis, France's, ehm ... prop crisis, expectations, anticipations and a bit more besides
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Ireland's prop crisis, France's, ehm ... prop crisis, expectations, anticipations and a bit more besides
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Rugby podcast special: a 'bun fight' in a cold Edinburgh for the Six Nations launch
Brendan O’Brien and Simon Lewis check in with all the latest Six Nations news from the tournament launch in a freezing and wet Edinburgh
www.irishexaminer.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Took 20 minutes to chat through all the news and views from the Edinburgh launch of this year's Six Nations with Simon Lewis
Ireland's prop crisis, France's, ehm ... prop crisis, expectations, anticipations and a bit more besides
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Ireland's prop crisis, France's, ehm ... prop crisis, expectations, anticipations and a bit more besides
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Managed to write something about Fabien Galthie without using the term 'Gallic shrug'
It's about all that was missing when he was asked about Ireland's injury issues
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
It's about all that was missing when he was asked about Ireland's injury issues
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Fabien Galthie not interested in Irish injury woes
The France head coach has issues of his own, at tighthead for one.
www.irishexaminer.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Managed to write something about Fabien Galthie without using the term 'Gallic shrug'
It's about all that was missing when he was asked about Ireland's injury issues
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
It's about all that was missing when he was asked about Ireland's injury issues
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Connacht’s new gaff
Not like the old gaff!
Not like the old gaff!
January 24, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Connacht’s new gaff
Not like the old gaff!
Not like the old gaff!
“We have got to earn our right to be there"
A brutally honest Clayton McMillan fronted up again for media on Monday after Munster's Champions Cup exit over the weekend
No excuses, no polish. That's good
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
A brutally honest Clayton McMillan fronted up again for media on Monday after Munster's Champions Cup exit over the weekend
No excuses, no polish. That's good
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Clayton McMillan: 'Rich history doesn't give Munster a rite of passage'
The province suffered a huge setback last Saturday in the form of a 31-29 Investec Champions Cup defeat at home to Castres that knocked them out of the Champions Cup.
www.irishexaminer.com
January 19, 2026 at 3:54 PM
“We have got to earn our right to be there"
A brutally honest Clayton McMillan fronted up again for media on Monday after Munster's Champions Cup exit over the weekend
No excuses, no polish. That's good
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
A brutally honest Clayton McMillan fronted up again for media on Monday after Munster's Champions Cup exit over the weekend
No excuses, no polish. That's good
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Latest @ExaminerSport Rugby Podcast Special offering after a huge week of Champions Cup drama
Features far more Challenge Cup talk than anyone could have predicted, though
Oh, Munster!
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Features far more Challenge Cup talk than anyone could have predicted, though
Oh, Munster!
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Rugby podcast special: Huge Munster set-back and Leinster march on
Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis analyse a consequential weekend of Champions Cup action.
www.irishexaminer.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Latest @ExaminerSport Rugby Podcast Special offering after a huge week of Champions Cup drama
Features far more Challenge Cup talk than anyone could have predicted, though
Oh, Munster!
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Features far more Challenge Cup talk than anyone could have predicted, though
Oh, Munster!
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Ever wonder what it’s like to get into a ring with a two-time Olympic champion?
Kellie McLoughlin has. She spent six months thinking about a fight with Kellie Harrington
Now she knows
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Kellie McLoughlin has. She spent six months thinking about a fight with Kellie Harrington
Now she knows
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Inner battle the hardest to win when facing a two-time Olympic champion
Kellie McLoughlin, a 27-year-old former Dublin under camogie player and footballer, lost to two-time Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington in the lightweight final at the National Elites on Saturda...
www.irishexaminer.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Ever wonder what it’s like to get into a ring with a two-time Olympic champion?
Kellie McLoughlin has. She spent six months thinking about a fight with Kellie Harrington
Now she knows
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Kellie McLoughlin has. She spent six months thinking about a fight with Kellie Harrington
Now she knows
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Kellie Harrington has won Olympic, World and European finals
But fighting for a first Irish title on returning from retirement?
Now that's pressure
“Today I felt like the underdog and I love that feeling of feeling like the underdog"
Piece here...
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
But fighting for a first Irish title on returning from retirement?
Now that's pressure
“Today I felt like the underdog and I love that feeling of feeling like the underdog"
Piece here...
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Kellie Harrington claims 12th Irish Elite title on return from retirement
The Olympic champion has yet to decide on what comes next.
www.irishexaminer.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Kellie Harrington has won Olympic, World and European finals
But fighting for a first Irish title on returning from retirement?
Now that's pressure
“Today I felt like the underdog and I love that feeling of feeling like the underdog"
Piece here...
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
But fighting for a first Irish title on returning from retirement?
Now that's pressure
“Today I felt like the underdog and I love that feeling of feeling like the underdog"
Piece here...
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
What an honour for Erin King so early in her career!
She is even younger than Brian O'Driscoll, who was 23 when he was given the armband
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
She is even younger than Brian O'Driscoll, who was 23 when he was given the armband
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
'A moment I'll never forget': Erin King named new Ireland captain at age of 22
The former sevens star was revealed as the new skipper on Thursday afternoon.
www.irishexaminer.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:46 PM
What an honour for Erin King so early in her career!
She is even younger than Brian O'Driscoll, who was 23 when he was given the armband
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
She is even younger than Brian O'Driscoll, who was 23 when he was given the armband
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
"As a rugby player you have a small bit of autonomy and then you have... You've got to do as you're told as well"
Andrew Porter on switching over and back from tighthead to loosehead, bloody ears and THAT scrum disaster against the Springboks
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Andrew Porter on switching over and back from tighthead to loosehead, bloody ears and THAT scrum disaster against the Springboks
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Andrew Porter proves a handy man to have in a tight spot for Leinster
How many players can say they have been called up for one British and Irish Lions tour as a tighthead and another as a loose? And a longer reverse migration isn’t something he would rule out
www.irishexaminer.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:04 AM
"As a rugby player you have a small bit of autonomy and then you have... You've got to do as you're told as well"
Andrew Porter on switching over and back from tighthead to loosehead, bloody ears and THAT scrum disaster against the Springboks
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Andrew Porter on switching over and back from tighthead to loosehead, bloody ears and THAT scrum disaster against the Springboks
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
It's just onwards and upwards for Co. Down's Charlie Smyth
Great to see
🏈
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Great to see
🏈
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Charlie Smyth expecting elevation to New Orleans Saints active roster
Former Down footballer Charlie Smyth kicked a game-winning field goal for the New Orleans Saints against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
www.irishexaminer.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:54 PM
It's just onwards and upwards for Co. Down's Charlie Smyth
Great to see
🏈
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Great to see
🏈
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Latest rugby pod:
Just exactly what does Wednesday’s 2027 World Cup draw mean for Ireland?
And where are Munster and Leinster at as we kick off another Champions Cup campaign?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Just exactly what does Wednesday’s 2027 World Cup draw mean for Ireland?
And where are Munster and Leinster at as we kick off another Champions Cup campaign?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Rugby Podcast: A World Cup route hanging on Scots. And the Champions Cup kickoff
Brendan O’Brien and Simon Lewis discuss Wednesday’s 2027 Rugby World Cup pool draw, and look ahead to Munster's and Leinster’s Champions Cup campaign.
www.irishexaminer.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Latest rugby pod:
Just exactly what does Wednesday’s 2027 World Cup draw mean for Ireland?
And where are Munster and Leinster at as we kick off another Champions Cup campaign?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Just exactly what does Wednesday’s 2027 World Cup draw mean for Ireland?
And where are Munster and Leinster at as we kick off another Champions Cup campaign?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Rassie Erasmus never disappoints
Great quote, and it wasn't the only one...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Great quote, and it wasn't the only one...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Rassie Erasmus: 'We understand we are the red meat that you guys want to eat'
The Boks have their own motivations this week.
www.irishexaminer.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Rassie Erasmus never disappoints
Great quote, and it wasn't the only one...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Great quote, and it wasn't the only one...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Category A tickets for Ireland-South Africa this Saturday cost €160.
That's basically a 78% rise since 2013.
The IRFU has defended the prices and said claims that the Aviva experience has turned into "a corporate day out" are "disingenuous"
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
That's basically a 78% rise since 2013.
The IRFU has defended the prices and said claims that the Aviva experience has turned into "a corporate day out" are "disingenuous"
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
'We have to maximise our revenues': IRFU defend increasing ticket prices
The cost of attending the senior national team’s games in Dublin has ballooned in modern times, from €90 for a Category A admission in 2013 to €160 for the biggest games in the current November window...
www.irishexaminer.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Category A tickets for Ireland-South Africa this Saturday cost €160.
That's basically a 78% rise since 2013.
The IRFU has defended the prices and said claims that the Aviva experience has turned into "a corporate day out" are "disingenuous"
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
That's basically a 78% rise since 2013.
The IRFU has defended the prices and said claims that the Aviva experience has turned into "a corporate day out" are "disingenuous"
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Zaur Antia has retired, bringing the curtain down on one of the greatest coaching careers in Irish sporting history
Maybe THE greatest
- 23 years
- 10 Olympic medals, 3 of them gold
- 154 medals across various major competitions
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Maybe THE greatest
- 23 years
- 10 Olympic medals, 3 of them gold
- 154 medals across various major competitions
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Georgian genius Zaur Antia retires - what a legacy he has left in Irish boxing
There have been ten Olympic medals, 154 podium places across the major championships, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
www.irishexaminer.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Zaur Antia has retired, bringing the curtain down on one of the greatest coaching careers in Irish sporting history
Maybe THE greatest
- 23 years
- 10 Olympic medals, 3 of them gold
- 154 medals across various major competitions
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Maybe THE greatest
- 23 years
- 10 Olympic medals, 3 of them gold
- 154 medals across various major competitions
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Pod chat with Irish Examiner football corr John Fallon on last night's fever dream of a game at the Aviva Stadium
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
World Cup Qualifier Podcast: a night for the ages as Ireland keep dream alive
John Fallon and Brendan O'Brien react to a famous victory over Portugal in Dublin.
www.irishexaminer.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Pod chat with Irish Examiner football corr John Fallon on last night's fever dream of a game at the Aviva Stadium
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
One of the great nights on Lansdowne Road
There was something in the air from the very first counter-attack
Everyone could feel it
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
There was something in the air from the very first counter-attack
Everyone could feel it
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
Next stop Budapest as Ireland take down Portugal and the Prince of Petulance
And those permutations now? Only the one. Win in Budapest. Suddenly, that feels doable.
www.irishexaminer.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM
One of the great nights on Lansdowne Road
There was something in the air from the very first counter-attack
Everyone could feel it
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
There was something in the air from the very first counter-attack
Everyone could feel it
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
It was classic Genial Joe Schmidt on show ahead of Australia's meeting with his old Ireland team earlier today
Being back in his old Dublin haunt looks to be exactly what he needs after the Wallabies' disastrous defeat to Italy in Udine last week
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Being back in his old Dublin haunt looks to be exactly what he needs after the Wallabies' disastrous defeat to Italy in Udine last week
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Joe Schmidt recharging in old Dublin haunt ahead of closing stretch with Wallabies
Schmidt touched on the comfort of familiarity and Dublin has that in spades for him. He got out of a taxi in town earlier in the week and the first three randomers to pass him by all gave up a ‘Hello ...
www.irishexaminer.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:28 PM
It was classic Genial Joe Schmidt on show ahead of Australia's meeting with his old Ireland team earlier today
Being back in his old Dublin haunt looks to be exactly what he needs after the Wallabies' disastrous defeat to Italy in Udine last week
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Being back in his old Dublin haunt looks to be exactly what he needs after the Wallabies' disastrous defeat to Italy in Udine last week
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
A pod headline with a more positive spin than the chat itself:
What needs to happen tomorrow if Ireland's slim World Cup hopes are to be still alive in Budapest come Sunday
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
What needs to happen tomorrow if Ireland's slim World Cup hopes are to be still alive in Budapest come Sunday
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
World Cup Qualifier Podcast: So you're saying there's still a chance?
John Fallon joins Brendan O’Brien at the Republic of Ireland’s training camp
www.irishexaminer.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:27 PM
A pod headline with a more positive spin than the chat itself:
What needs to happen tomorrow if Ireland's slim World Cup hopes are to be still alive in Budapest come Sunday
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
What needs to happen tomorrow if Ireland's slim World Cup hopes are to be still alive in Budapest come Sunday
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
“I was putting other people, a lot of other people who really cared for me and loved me and really supported me, through a lot as well due to my own suffering.”
Searingly honest and raw words from Ireland’s Olympic bronze medalist Aidan Walsh here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Searingly honest and raw words from Ireland’s Olympic bronze medalist Aidan Walsh here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Olympic bronze medallist Aidan Walsh 'at peace' with retirement after career of struggles outside the ring
During his boxing career, Aidan Walsh struggled with his mental health. He plans to do a Masters in sports psychology, and possibly a PhD, with the aim of helping fellow athletes.
www.irishexaminer.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:54 AM
“I was putting other people, a lot of other people who really cared for me and loved me and really supported me, through a lot as well due to my own suffering.”
Searingly honest and raw words from Ireland’s Olympic bronze medalist Aidan Walsh here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Searingly honest and raw words from Ireland’s Olympic bronze medalist Aidan Walsh here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
One of the coolest underdog success stories I’ve seen in years…
4 amateur Irish sailors bought a bought from a shed behind Lidl in Kinsale
And on Wednesday they took the multi-million dollar America’s Cup champions all the way to the finishing line
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
4 amateur Irish sailors bought a bought from a shed behind Lidl in Kinsale
And on Wednesday they took the multi-million dollar America’s Cup champions all the way to the finishing line
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Amateur Irish sailors who gave New Zealand’s America’s Cup champions a run for their money
In the wake of events in Dun Laoghaire, eyes are already turning to a defence of their world title next year in Sandringham near Melbourne.
www.irishexaminer.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:09 PM
One of the coolest underdog success stories I’ve seen in years…
4 amateur Irish sailors bought a bought from a shed behind Lidl in Kinsale
And on Wednesday they took the multi-million dollar America’s Cup champions all the way to the finishing line
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
4 amateur Irish sailors bought a bought from a shed behind Lidl in Kinsale
And on Wednesday they took the multi-million dollar America’s Cup champions all the way to the finishing line
👇
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/others...
Pod reflections with Joe Callaghan from Soldier Field on the back of a strange day for Ireland
Some good, some bad, but how much of this was rustiness and how much just more of the inconsistencies Paul O'Connell spoke of last week?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Some good, some bad, but how much of this was rustiness and how much just more of the inconsistencies Paul O'Connell spoke of last week?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Rugby podcast special: Ireland v All Blacks reaction from Chicago
Brendan O'Brien is joined by Joe Callaghan from Soldier Field in the moments after the sides' hard-fought test.
www.irishexaminer.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Pod reflections with Joe Callaghan from Soldier Field on the back of a strange day for Ireland
Some good, some bad, but how much of this was rustiness and how much just more of the inconsistencies Paul O'Connell spoke of last week?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Some good, some bad, but how much of this was rustiness and how much just more of the inconsistencies Paul O'Connell spoke of last week?
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
First of the November Test pods and we start by chatting to Joe Callaghan in Chicago for @irishexaminer.bsky.social ahead of Ireland's game against the All Blacks
- Sports mad Chi-Town
- Memories of 2016
- Evolution v revolution
- RWC27 starts here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
- Sports mad Chi-Town
- Memories of 2016
- Evolution v revolution
- RWC27 starts here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
Rugby podcast special: previewing Ireland v the All Blacks from Chicago
Joe Callaghan joins Brendan O'Brien from the Windy City ahead of the Soldier Field showdown with New Zealand.
www.irishexaminer.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:51 PM
First of the November Test pods and we start by chatting to Joe Callaghan in Chicago for @irishexaminer.bsky.social ahead of Ireland's game against the All Blacks
- Sports mad Chi-Town
- Memories of 2016
- Evolution v revolution
- RWC27 starts here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...
- Sports mad Chi-Town
- Memories of 2016
- Evolution v revolution
- RWC27 starts here
www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/...