Waterford GAA is mourning the sudden death of Brendan Breen, who passed away on Friday, August 28th. A Kerry native and serving member of An Garda Síochána in Waterford, Brendan and his wife Cathy made their home in Stradbally, where he quickly became involved in GAA at local and county level.

His contribution to underage GAA in Waterford was extensive, with Brendan serving as a coach, manager, mentor, referee and committee member. Bord na nÓg Port Lairge has paid tribute to Brendan, highlighting his passion for underage games and his work to improve the structures and profile of underage GAA in the county.

In a statement, Bord na nÓg Port Lairge said:

“A wave of shock spread across Waterford GAA on Friday, August 28th 2026, as news spread of the sudden death of Brendan Breen. A Kerry native, and a serving member of An Garda Síochána in Waterford, Brendan & Cathy made their home in Stradbally and quickly immersed himself in all things GAA at local and county level.

Brendan served as coach, manager, mentor and a valued member of Stradbally GAA & LGFA committees and was also involved in several community groups. In the past week he was in Fraher Field on Monday night to see Stradbally U16 hurlers win the Division 1A trophy and was extremely proud to present the trophy to the winning Stradbally captain Gearóid Power (see picture attached), while he managed the Stradbally minor hurling team in Fraher Field on Wednesday night last.

Within Waterford GAA he refereed at both juvenile and underage for a number of years. He was also involved with Deise Óg in the Town & Country Leagues and Development squads. Earlier this year he was a selector with Waterford Minor Footballers in what was the most successful campaign in a long number of years.

Since joining the Bord na nÓg committee in 2022, he has been an active member – attending meetings, games, offering advice and spending many hours looking at how to improve underage structures within the county and raise the profile of our underage games.

Over the last 12 to 18 months, Brendan had dedicated many hours to redesign the Bord na nÓg plan of games which was implemented in 2026 liaising with Waterford GAA Adult CCC, Deise Óg, Post Primary & Primary Schools to bring more structure to the calendar. He was already working on further improvements for next year’s calendar. His primary goal at all times was to have as many players playing our games at a high as level as possible.

During his time with Bord na nÓg, he quickly became a valued member of the committee, and strong friendships were formed along the way. He was passionate about our underage games and was never afraid to share his views and stand up for what he believed in. He always did so with great conviction, but once the meeting was over, so too was the debate, and the friendships continued as strong as ever.

We will miss his presence at the meetings & games, his passion for protecting and improving our native games and of course the odd humorous Whatsapp message.

On behalf of Bord na nÓg Port Lairge, we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Cathy, his beloved children Aidan, Grace & Roisin , extended family in Stradbally and Kerry, colleagues in An Garda Síochána, all in Stradbally GAA & LGFA and to all those who knew Brendan.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal. Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.”