KILKENNY’S EDDIE BRENNAN has retired from inter-county hurling, according to reports.

The 33-year-old has enjoyed a massively successful career with the Cats, winning eight All-Irelands, ten Leinster titles, four National Hurling Leagues and a quadruple of All-Star awards.

RTE state that Brennan has decided to call time on his Kilkenny career as Brian Cody’s men prepare for the 2012 league campaign, and becomes the second high profile member of the panel to walk away, following James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick’s retirement in November.

Late last year, Brennan revealed how hard it would be to walk away from Kilkenny hurling. He said that he decided to prolong his career after the side failed to secure a fifth All-Ireland in a row against Tipperary in 2010.

“It’s something that is there in the background – will I or won’t I? First and foremost, I have to sit down with Brian to talk about it. You would have a fair idea yourself about what lies ahead,” he said in December.

“This time last year, if we had have won the five-in-a-row, I probably would have gone. It’s a huge part of your life, when you’re involved in hurling, and it’s hard to walk away from that.”

While Brennan had been used more sparingly by Cody in recent seasons, his importance to the team was highlighted by his powerful run to set up a Richie Hogan goal in last September’s All-Ireland Final win over the Premier County.

He made his Championship debut for Kilkenny in 2000.

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