Johnny O'Connor (hurler)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Seán Ó Conchubhair | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Midfield | ||
| Born |
1928 Abbeyside, County Waterford , Ireland | ||
| Died |
31 October 2010 (aged 82) Mallow, County Cork, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Occupation | Primary school teacher | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
| University College Dublin | |||
| College titles | |||
| Fitzgibbon titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1946–1958 | Waterford | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 2 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
John P. O'Connor (1928 – 31 October 2010), known as Johnny O'Connor, was an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder for the Waterford senior team.[1][2]
Born in
As a member of the
.O'Connor retired from inter-county hurling following the conclusion of the 1958 championship.
Playing career
Colleges
During his schooling at Dungarvan CBS, O'Connor first established himself as a hurler of note. In spite of a lack of success in the
University
As a mature student at
Club
O'Connor first enjoyed club success in Dublin as a member of the University College Dublin team. In 1948 he won a championship medal as UCD won the decider for the second year in succession.
Two years later O'Connor was back in Waterford, playing with the
By 1952 O'Connor was lining out with the Clonea team. That year he played in the Waterford senior decider, with T. F. Meagher's providing the opposition. A 1–10 to 2–1 victory gave O'Connor a championship medal once again.
A decade later and O'Connor, after settling in Cork, was lining out with
In the twilight of his club career, O'Connor's performances for Castletownroche earned him a place on the
Inter-county
O'Connor made his senior debut for Waterford on 3 November 1946 in a 2–3 to 3–5 defeat by Kilkenny in the opening round of the National Hurling League. He was still a secondary school student at the time.
A year later on 29 June 1947, O'Connor made his championship debut in a 3–10 to 1–5 Munster semi-final defeat by Cork.
In 1948 Waterford lined out in their first provincial decider in five years, with reigning champions Cork providing the opposition.
After falling behind by five points early in the game, Waterford fought back to lead by a point at the interval. Goalkeeper
After the long-awaited breakthrough at All-Ireland level, Waterford went into decline for almost a decade as Tipperary and Cork went on to dominate the provincial and All-Ireland series.
In 1957 Waterford broke back with O'Connor remaining as one of the veterans from the last glorious period. A 1–11 to 1–6 defeat of reigning provincial champions Cork gave O'Connor a second Munster medal. On 1 September 1957 Waterford lined out in the All-Ireland decider with Kilkenny providing the opposition. Over 70,000 spectators turned up at Croke Park to see an exciting game of hurling. With fifteen minutes left in the game Waterford led by six points. Two quick goals for "the Cats", together with a great point by captain Mickey Kelly reversed the trend and gave Kilkenny a 4–10 to 3–12 victory.
O'Connor retired from inter-county hurling following Waterford's exit from the 1958 championship.
Inter-provincial
O'Connor first lined out for Munster in the inter-provincial series in 1954. He was an unused substitute throughout the campaign, as Munster were eventually bested by Leinster in the decider.
The following year O'Connor, after playing in the opening game, was dropped from the starting fifteen for the decider. A 6–8 to 3–4 defeat of
Defeat was Munster's lot again in 1956, however, O'Connor was a member of the starting fifteen for the decider the following year. A 6–6 to 0–10 defeat of Connacht gave him a second Railway Cup medal, his first on the field of play.
Personal life
Born in
His first teaching post was at
He was a greyhound trainer after his hurling career and won the prestigious 1973 English Greyhound Derby with a greyhound called Patricias Hope.[7]
Honours
Team
- Dungarvan CBS
- All-Ireland Colleges Interprovincial Hurling Championship (2): 1945, 1946
- Abbeyside
- Waterford Junior Hurling Championship (1): 1950
- University College Dublin
- Dublin Senior Hurling Championship (1): 1948
- Fitzgibbon Cup (1): 1958
- Clonea
- Waterford Senior Hurling Championship (1): 1952
- Castletownroche
- Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship(1): 1964
- Avondhu
- Cork Senior Hurling Championship(1): 1966
- Waterford
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (1): 1948
- Munster Senior Hurling Championship (2): 1948, 1957
- Munster
- Railway Cup(2): 1955 (sub), 1957
References
- ^ Murphy, John (1 November 2010). "Waterford hurling legend Johnny O'Connor dies, aged 82". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^ "Waterford GAA mourns Johnny O'Connor". Hogan Stand. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
- ^ "Castletownroche social honours the stars of '60's". The Corkman. 8 December 2000. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Senior side continue drive toward the top of league". The Corkman. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Two Memorable Victories for Waterford". Waterford News. 6 August 1948. Archived from the original on 29 November 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "A Ton of Bone & Muscle May Beat Dublin". Waterford News. 3 September 1948. Archived from the original on 29 November 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Waterford hurling legend Johnny O'Connor dies, aged 82, after brief illness". Irish Examiner.