Leo O'Connor (born 1967) is an Irish retired hurler who played as left wing-forward for the

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

senior team. O'Connor made his first appearance for the team during the 1988-89 National League and became a regular member of the starting fifteen over the next seven seasons. During that time he won one

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

medal as a non-playing substitute. He ended up as an All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion. At club level O'Connor is a one-time county club championship medalist with

Kinnitty Kinnitty () is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is located 13 km east of Birr on the R440 and R421 regional roads. Name and location The village derives its name from the myth that the head of an ancient princess is buried beneath ...

. In retirement from playing, O'Connor became involved in team management. He has served as manager of the

Mungret Mungret () is a village and civil parish in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located close to Limerick City on the N69 national secondary road. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 277 people. The local church, which is dedica ...

intermediate hurling team, the offaly under-17 hurling team and the Limerick under-21 hurling team.

Playing career

Club

O'Connor enjoyed some success during a three-decade long career with Claughaun. In 1986 he was a member of the Claughaun senior hurling team that reached the championship decider. A 1-9 to 0-9 defeat of Adare gave O'Connor a

Limerick Senior Hurling Championship The Limerick Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bon Secours Hospital County Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Limerick SHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Limerick County Board o ...

medal. It would be twenty years before O'Connor once again tasted success with Claughaun. Having started the season as a goalkeeper he was later deployed as an outfield player as the club reached the final of the intermediate championship. A 1-17 to 2-9 defeat of South Liberties gave O'Connor a county intermediate championship medal.

Inter-county

O'Connor first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Limerick under-21 hurling team. In 1987 he missed out on the county's

final triumph over

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, but was included on the starting fifteen for the subsequent All-Ireland final. A 2-15 to 3-6 defeat of

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

gave O'Connor an All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship medal. O'Connor made his senior debut for Limerick in a

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...

game against

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

during the 1988-89 campaign. Later that season he made his championship debut when he came on as a substitute against

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

. After a number of seasons on and off the team, O'Connor became a more regular player during the 1993-94 league and championship seasons. In spite of missing Limerick's emphatic Munster final triumph over

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, he came on as a substitute in the subsequent All-Ireland final. For much of that match it looked as if Limerick side were going to make history and claim the title as they had a five-point lead with as many minutes left.

suddenly sprang to life following a

Johnny Dooley Johnny Dooley (born 7 October 1971 in Clareen, County Offaly) is an Irish former hurling manager and player. He played hurling with his local club Clareen GAA and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1991 until 2002. Doole ...

goal from a close-in free. Following the puck-out Offaly worked the ball upfield and Pat O'Connor struck for a second goal. The Offaly forwards scored another five unanswered points in the time remaining to secure a 3-16 to 2-13 victory.

Managerial career

In retirement from playing, O'Connor became involved in team management and coaching at club and inter-county level. He enjoyed moderate success at club level when he guided Mungret to a semi-final in the intermediate championship. In 2009 O'Connor was appointed manager of the Limerick under-21 hurling team. After little success in his first two seasons, Limerick reached the provincial decider in 2011. After an epic game with extra time, Limerick emerged victorious on a score line of 4-20 to 1-27.

Honours

Player

;Claughaun *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship The Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association for the third tier hurling teams in the county of Limerick in Ireland. The series of games ...

: 2006 ;Limerick *

Munster Senior Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Management

;Limerick * Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

;Offaly *

Leinster Under-20 Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-20 Championship known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the hig ...

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Ass ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Leo 1966 births Living people Claughaun hurlers Limerick inter-county hurlers Hurling goalkeepers Hurling managers