Sudden death of Shay Brennan

Shay Brennan, the former Republic of Ireland skipper and member of Manchester United's famous Busby Babes, died suddenly yesterday in Tramore.

Capped 19 times by Ireland, Brennan captained the national side on five occasions, having made his debut against Spain in Dublin in the summer of 1965.

Born in Manchester on May 6th, 1937, the full back was the first English-born player to play for Ireland, taking advantage of a change by FIFA to the eligibility rules.

At club level he was thrown into the first team at Old Trafford after the tragedy at Munich in which eight first team members were killed.

He made an immediate impact, scoring twice and being named man of the match in the first game after the incident, an FA Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday.

In that game he had been chosen to play at outside left. But, after a spell at wing-half, it was as a skilful, attacking right full back that Brennan made his name. His ability to carry the ball forward quickly and beat opponents helped to establish him as a major asset to both his club and country.

He was a member of the United team which won league titles in 1965 and 1967, and after this second success he went on to help the club to the European Cup final defeat of Benfica at Wembley.

In the early 1970s he moved to Ireland where he played with the impressive Waterford United side that won back-to-back League of Ireland titles in 1972 and 1973.