Rugby Back In The Day

From the pitches of Sandymount to the world stage of Olympic Sport, Dr Conor O'Brien's life has been shaped by sport and medicine. Born and raised overlooking the iconic Lansdowne Football Club grounds, O'Brien pulled on the Lansdowne jersey as a 14-year-old in 1975 and played with the club for more than three decades, retiring at 37. His devotion did not end at the final whistle; he went on to serve as the club doctor, as well as team doctor for Leinster's senior men, continuing a lifelong commitment to the game he loves. Beyond Lansdowne, his medical career has taken him across the globe from caring for Irish athletes at the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta to advising on Anti-Doping policy with WADA. His pioneering work in Sports Medicine, particularly around drug use and nerve injuries, has left a lasting impact on the field. Yet this story is not only one of medicine and sport. O'Brien, a musician, and writer of medical and non-medical works, delights in the humorous side of the human condition which he has seen up close and personal on and off the rugby pitch. This is a book about rugby, resilience, and the rhythms of a life lived at the intersection of sport and science told with warmth, insight, and a lifelong love of Lansdowne Football Club.