BRIAN O’Driscoll says his junior B triumph at the All-Ireland Road Bowling Championships was extra special – he won the cup that his late father had tried to win 22 years ago.
In 2003, the year Brian was born, Teddy O’Driscoll captured the Munster junior B title but came up short in the All-Ireland series.
Now Brian has finally brought that All-Ireland cup home to Drimoleague – and his late father’s fingerprints were all over this superb win at Castletownkenneigh.
‘The year I was born, my father won the county but lost the All-Ireland, so that was something I wanted to do – win the All-Ireland and bring the cup home,’ says Brian (21).
‘When I was in the same grade and in the same All-Ireland final, I wanted to win it for him.
‘My interest in road bowling came from him – he got me into it from an early age.
‘All the hard work from the start has paid off.’
Brian O'Driscoll receiving the Mick Hegarty Cup from Gretta Cormican after winning the county Novice A final in 2023.
Teddy O’Driscoll passed away in September 2023, just days after Brian won the All-Ireland Novice 1 Championship in Waterford – Teddy was by his side for nearly all of that journey.
It’s no surprise to those in the bowling community that Brian has now added a second All-Ireland title in three years, considering the strong bowling tradition in his family. His grandfather Tadg bowled too, and that passion for the sport has been passed down through generations.
The similarities between Brian and his father Teddy were highlighted by The Southern Star’s late road bowling correspondent Pat McCarthy in 2023: ‘Similar to Brian, Teddy built a reputation as a hard-beaten opponent who revelled in the close-quarter clashes that usually decide championship titles.’
Brian’s recent All-Ireland junior B final against 2023 junior C champion Barry O’Reilly was another tense contest – but the local favourite didn’t flinch.
He opened strong, with his sixth throw to Pyne’s Corner showing he is a bowler built for the big occasion.
‘My first six throws were very good, but I had to keep my head – there was no relaxing. It was a hard score, but I came out the right side,’ reflects Brian, who was thrilled to get his hands on the Denis McGarry Cup. It has found its new home in Drimoleague, at last.
‘It’s great to have it in the house,’ he says, and the plan now is to take a short break and enjoy what he has achieved. It’s a special moment for him and his family.
‘It’s a great feeling. It doesn’t sink in until you have the cup in your hands.’
Brian will step up to junior A next year, but he’s grounded enough not to get carried away by his success.
‘I’ll take it one score at a time and do the best I can,’ he says.
‘Senior would be the goal for everyone, but you can never look ahead – every score is a challenge.’
But there’s already enough evidence to suggest he’s one to watch in the years ahead. His bowling genes run deep, and his application and work ethic give him every chance of fulfilling his potential.
Life is busy on the farm, so he enjoys stepping away from that to bowl.
‘It’s busy trying to do it all – if you want to go somewhere, you need to milk the cows,’ he adds.
So while there wasn’t a cow milked in Drimoleague after his All-Ireland success, there was a good reason: Brian was busy winning a cup that meant more to the O’Driscoll family than many might have realised.
