A copy of the obituary written by Colm Murphy which appeared in the April 2006 addition of “The Gazette”, volume 6 number 3.

LEN BRAHAM

1935-2006

A century ago the throwing events with the exception of the javelin was the preserve of Irish athletes. Having given the modern athletics world the shot, discus and hammer plus a host of other putting, winding and turning events it was not surprising that Irish throwers would dominate the world scene. Because of their stature and general disposition these throwers became known as a collective group – the Irish Whale. A distinctive feature of this athletic species was the peculiar ability of these world class throwers was their all round athletic ability – being first rate jumpers or sprinters as well. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, politics being prominent, the Irish Dominance of the throws waned and the Irish Whale itself became largely distinct. There has been the occasional ‘Whale’ over the past sixty years – Pat O’Callaghan [hammer ‘28/ ‘42[sic]], Hal Connolly [hammer ‘56] through to Nick Sweeney and John Menton of recent years. When I entered the hallowed [education and sport] ground that is Cork University in 1793, I fell immediately into the orbit of one Len Braham the then Irish record holder in the discus. At the time I fancied myself as a sprinter [10,8/10,9 100m]; Len believed I had the basics for a decent discus thrower. The compromise was the decathlon – and so spent many an hour in the gym with Len. Being over 3 hours drive from home, Len became something of a father figure; the odd thing about Len was that he had taken up athletics – sprints/jumps – at the age of 30; he had unbelievable natural strength which when added to the strength gained in the weights room made him formidable in the circle and so his discus career took off – as did his ability with the 56 – for distance and over the bar. He proved a fascination for the German national squad in the mid 1970s; invited to attend a training session in Darmstadt they could not believe the fact that he could lob the 5kg disc over 30m – well ahead of anything the best German discus thrower could manage. What was also surprising was that Len was now hitting the 55 metre mark in the discus – this despite the gross disadvantage of being no talker then 1.74m. Being able to throw mid 50s as a Vet singled him out as favourite for World Vet events but Len never quite saw eye to eye with administrators and so missed out on these Championships. He was successful in steering me in the direction of the discus by the late 1970s but this was at a time when one had to throw 52/53 metres to win a county medal! Still he had the satisfaction of seeing his pupil exceed his personal best a few years later. Len was quite extraordinary with the 56lbs weight – he was exceptional with the height, although the national record eluded him [his own height being against him] but with the distance he was quite something else – with a superb technique he was the first man to attain the magic 30 foot mark. He did manage to impart some of his knowledge with the distance to me but failed ignominiously with height – ‘give it up Murphy, you’re more worried about your head then than the bar – no good!’ Len made regular comebacks every ten years or so despite being in bad health. At age 60 he still could manage a 7 metre 56lbs throw, enough to bring that twinkle to his eye in managing ‘one over’ on me. Another comeback when 70 at Dunboyne in 2004 was followed by his final outing at Castleisland for the HTA Easter event last April. Len, as competitive as ever, threw the disc [Greek discus] 24 metres. He loved seeing the traditional events being resurrected –the Goulding Hammer, the many 56s, the hammer events. He was a great supporter of the HTA and SECTA, being a fully paid up member – always the first in fact to return his sub. Len was every bit the Irish Whale; he did well in what ever athletic event he tried but excelled in the throws. He was quite a phenomenon. Everything he did was done with a smile and a glint in his eye. He enjoyed life to the full and was forever fulsome in his praise of the efforts of the HTA/SECTA. Len – you will never be forgotten. Colm Murphy. Personally I only had the honour of meeting Len on two occasions, at both of the HTA events he attended. Standing near the submerged gravel runway in Dunboyne Eddy Mulcahy introduced me to a man I had heard of as legend, and indeed I treated him thus, repeating multiple times the honer it was to meet him. And it was. Having grown up In a generation which is yet to see a new National record in any of the throwing events, a generation just in time to see the end of the peak of Menton, McSweeny and McGrath, the tales of Lens exploits (which Colm and/or Eddy never tire of repeating) and achievements told a story of what Irish throwing had been, and could be. His was a golden age in which Titans such as himself, Twoomy and O’Connell fought at minor sports days with the same determination as National Championships, and indeed the sports days were just as well attended. Current Intervarsity Champions would have been humiliated and reduced to the lower ranks of a County Championship by such men. An era in which titles were hard won and well respected has given way to an age in which standards in the throws is at a 4 decade low and numbers competing have dropped. Len was not in full health when he visited Dunboyne to meet Eddy and watch the proceedings and instead spent his time with Eddy throwing the 28 and 35lb weights on the submerged strip of runway. It was impossible to keep Len from the weight! It was then that he began saying to me that he was thinking of coming back. A quick examination of my technique resulted in his saying that all I needed now was a bit of strength and I was honoured and delighted to receive two letters over the next few months containing a training program and advice on what throws to take and on nutrition. Personal matters would interfere with my completion of the program but I truly feel it was the strongest I had ever been and am disappointed I wasn’t able to test it fully. Len was a great athlete, was willing to help anyone who asked a question and was as happy as any while throwing. In Castleisland he didn’t stop smiling for the duration of the contest, achieving outstanding results in the Goulding and Greek Discus. It would be the last time I would talk to him. Greatly looking forward to meeting him in Dunboyne in 2005 I was saddened to hear that he was unwell. Not thinking it was too serious I told Eddy to wish him well and mentioned about going to visit him some time. We agreed but his condition got worse. On Friday the 17th February 2006, after a period of ill health Len Braham passed away. A few days later his close friend and arch rival Eddy Mulcahy lead the funeral procession playing on bagpipes. The HTA and ITC decided that the Easter throws competition held in Castleisland, the last HTA competition he attended would in renamed the Len Braham Easter Throws Championships. Colm and Catherine Murphy donated a perpetual trophy to be presented annually to the best overall athlete. This is a fitting tribute to a great athlete who gave his all to throwing. Not alone was he outrageously successful but enjoyed every minute of it. His memory and achievements shall never be forgotten. May he rest in Peace.