Pascal McConnell is a former

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er who played for the Tyrone county team. He is an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner. McConnell competed with John Devine and

Niall Morgan Niall Morgan (born 17 July 1991) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Edendork St Malachy's club and the Tyrone county team. A knee injury in 2013 ruled him out for the rest of the season. This was considered a severe blow to Ty ...

to be first choice goalkeeper for Tyrone.

Early life and family

McConnell's older brother is Tyrone's All Star-winning goalkeeper of the nineties,

Finbar McConnell Finbar McConnell is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Tyrone county team. He was Tyrone's first-choice goalkeeper throughout most of the nineties, and played in the 1995 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 1995 A ...

Playing career

In 1998, McConnell played alongside

Stephen O'Neill Stephen O'Neill (born 19 November 1980) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer from Strabane, Northern Ireland, who played at senior level for the Tyrone county team. He won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, two All-Ireland ...

in the MacRory Cup semi-final for

Omagh CBS The Christian Brothers Grammar School, Omagh (known locally as CBS Omagh, Omagh CBS, or the Brothers) is a boys grammar school in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the largest grammar school in Omagh. It is under the trusteeship of ...

. Over the course of his career with Tyrone GAA, McConnell helped win three All-Ireland senior medals for the county.

Retirement

McConnell announced his retirement from inter-county football in November 2013. When asked about this decision, McConnell said, "There is a big commitment required in order to stay performing at the top level and I feel the time is right to bow out and start a new chapter in my life. I have absolutely no regrets from my playing career with Tyrone, although, I suppose if I was a bit greedy, I would say that I felt that we could have won the All Ireland in 2009 and 2010." His retirement from inter-county football left Conor Gormley,

Dermot Carlin Dermot Carlin is a Gaelic footballer for the Killyclogher St Mary's club and the Tyrone county team. He was a member of the squad that won the county's first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 2003. In the same year he was part of th ...

and Seán Cavanagh as the only remaining links to the Tyrone team that won the county's first All-Ireland senior title in 2003.

References

*http://www.breakingnews.ie/archives/2004/0804/sport/kfgbauaueygb/ *http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story.asp?j=36557&cat=sport 1980 births Living people Gaelic football goalkeepers Newtownstewart St Eugene's Gaelic footballers Tyrone inter-county Gaelic footballers Winners of two All-Ireland medals (Gaelic football) {{Tyrone-gaelic-football-bio-stub