Sean O'Connell
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Sean O'Connell (1930s – July 2003) was a
Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and player who featured for the Derry county team in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and was on the Derry side that finished runners-up to
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in the 1958 All-Ireland Championship – winning an Ulster Championship with the county that year, and three more in 1970, 1975 and 1976. For his performances in the
1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 81st staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 23 April 1967 and ...
, O'Connell won a Cú Chulainn Award (the awards which ran between 1963 and 1967 were the forerunner to the modern day All Star Awards). O'Connell played his club football for Ballerin Sarsfields. He was instrumental in helping Ballerin reach the 1976–77
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament which began in season 1970–71. It is the top-tier competition for the senior football clubs of Ireland and London. The current champions are Cuala of D ...
final, where they were defeated by
Austin Stacks Austin Stacks is a hurling and Gaelic football club based in Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. Founded in 1917, the club has more All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and GAA All-Stars than any other Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA ...
of Kerry. He also won two Derry Championships and an
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament organised by Ulster GAA. It is played between the Senior championship winners from each of the nine counties of Ulster. The competition was first held in 1968 an ...
with the club. He is regarded as a Derry legend, and an all-time great of the game. He was in particular known for scoring exploits – he is ninth in the all-time list of top Ulster scorers in Championship football with a tally of 11–118 (11 goals and 118 points—each goal equals 3 points; 11 × 3 + 118 = 151 points, see GAA scoring rules). In the centenary year of the
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...
(1984), O'Connell was named in the Football Team of the Century comprising players who never won an All-Ireland. Former Derry County Board chairman Gerard O'Kane said of O'Connell "everyone growing up when Sean O'Connell was playing wanted to be Sean O'Connell".


Background and early life

Sean O'Connell was born in
Garvagh Garvagh ( or ''Garbhachadh'' meaning "rough field") is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the banks of the Agivey River, south of Coleraine on the A29 route. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,288. It is sit ...
in the 1930s; his father Pat was a farmer and a talented soccer player. His mother Brigid (née McKenna), originally from Slaughtneil, was a school teacher. He had four brothers and four sisters. His elder brother Seamus was a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
and played with Derry in the 1950s. His other brothers Paddy and Gerard played at Under 21 level for Derry, while Cahir was a decent club player in the 1960s and early 1970s. His cousin Seamus O'Connell played soccer for the likes of
Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...
in England where he helped the club win their first ever League title in 1954–55. Sean boarded at
St Columb's College St Columb's College is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland. Since 2008, it has been a specialist school in mathematics. It is named after Saint Columba, the missionary monk from County Donegal who founded a monast ...
in Derry. O'Connell tried his hand at
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
in his youth and was a member of Garvagh Boxing Club. He worked as a teacher and was principal of St Patrick's College in
Dungiven Dungiven () is a small town, townland and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the main A6 road (Northern Ireland), A6 Belfast to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the river ...
for many years. He lived in
Limavady Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 11,279 people at the 2021 Census. In the 40 years between 1 ...
for many years and he and his wife Margaret had four children. He died in July 2003 and is buried in Limavady.


Playing career


Playing style

One of O'Connell main attributes was his amazing and consistent scoring tallies. He frequently scored double-figures in games for both Ballerin and Derry, and was top scorer in both the 1974 and 1975 All-Ireland Championships. He was particularly known for being able to evade his marker by his incredible use of the sidestep dummy. He was also an extremely reliable free-taker. His tally of 11 Championship goals is one of the highest ever in Ulster football history.


Inter-county

O'Connell along with some of his Ballerin club-mates represented Derry at Minor level, – breaking into the Minor in 1955 and made his Senior debut two years later. In 1958 he played for Derry against
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
in the Wembley Tournament (a tournament played in
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
, London, England, for Irish people in the city to watch). He scored the first ever Gaelic football point scored in the stadium, but Derry lost out to Galway. That year O'Connell as was part of Derry's first ever
Ulster Senior Football Championship The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in April. The final is ...
winning team, beating Down in the final by four points (1–11 to 2–04). On 24 August, Derry caused one of the biggest shocks in the history of Gaelic football when the first-time Ulster Champions beat Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final 2-06 to 2–05 – O'Connell's "brilliant solo goal" proving decisive. They met
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in the All-Ireland final but Derry were defeated. It has been claimed a series of poor refereeing decisions in that game cost Derry greatly, but Derry captain Jim McKeever said in a 2002 interview that it should also be noted that "It was an exceptionally good Dublin team". The 1950s was a decade of very high standards of football and was a very difficult era to win an All-Ireland, with the likes of Mayo,
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Kerry,
Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia ** Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...
,
Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...
,
Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
and Dublin having very strong teams at the time. Unfortunately for Derry, they never quite managed to keep that team together, and only O'Connell from that starting 15 would ever win another Ulster title and play in another All-Ireland semi-final. They did however reach the
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
final in both 1958/59 and 1960/61, but they lost out to Kerry on both occasions, partly due to O'Connell being suspended for both deciders – he was suspended because he played soccer, which was against GAA rules at the time (Rule 27). O'Connell won a Cú Chulainn Award (forerunner to the All Star Awards) in 1967 and won further Ulster Championships in 1970, 1975 and 1976 – and was
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
for the 1970 triumph. In addition to being top scorer in the 1971 Ulster Championship, he was top scorer in both the 1974 and 1975 All-Ireland Championships. O'Connell's goal in the 1975 All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin has been called one of the greatest ever scored in
Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
. He was a replacement All Star in 1976. In the 1976 Ulster decider replay against Cavan, he came off the bench in extra-time and played a vital role in securing the title for Derry. He was 37 years old when he played in 1975–76 National League final against Dublin – Derry lost by a point in what has been described as the "greatest ever League final".


Club

O'Connell made his debut for the Ballerin Senior team in 1953. That year, as a fifteen-year-old year he played for Ballerin in both the Derry Minor and Derry Senior Championship finals – both on the same day in
Magherafelt Magherafelt ( ; , ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,071 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county an ...
. Ballerin however, were defeated in both finals – by
Bellaghy Bellaghy () is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies north west of Lough Neagh and about 5 miles north east of Magherafelt. In the centre of the village (known locally as The Diamond) three main roads lead to Magherafelt, ...
and
Desertmartin Desertmartin (;Toner, Gregory: ''Place-Names of Northern Ireland'', page 85. Queen's University of Belfast, 1996, )Flanagan, Deirdre & Laurence: ''Irish Place Names'', page 202. Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 2002. is a small village in County Londond ...
respectively. In 1957 however, Ballerin won their first ever Derry Championship, beating
Ballymaguigan Ballymaguigan () is a hamlet (place), hamlet and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the northwest shore of Lough Neagh, east of Magherafelt. The hamlet forms one part of a parish named Ardtrea North. Ballymaguigan is p ...
in the final on a scoreline of 3–08 to 2–06. Playing for Ballymaguigan that day was fellow Derry footballing legend Jim McKeever. O'Connell, now a 19-year-old, scored four points in that decider. Ballerin won their second ever Derry Championship in 1976, this time defeating
Dungiven Dungiven () is a small town, townland and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the main A6 road (Northern Ireland), A6 Belfast to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the river ...
in the final by 0–09 to 0–03, with O'Connell playing a starring role. They went on to win that year's
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament organised by Ulster GAA. It is played between the Senior championship winners from each of the nine counties of Ulster. The competition was first held in 1968 an ...
– defeating St. Joseph's ( Donegal) in the quarter-final, Enniskillen Gaels (
Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh (), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of alleged Laigin or ...
) in the semi-final and
Clan na Gael Clan na Gael (CnG) (, ; "family of the Gaels") is an Irish republican organization, founded in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Bro ...
of
Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...
in the decider – O'Connell's performances once again proving vital to the club's success. The team easily beat
Killererin Killererin () is a Gaelic football club based in the Tuam area in County Galway, Ireland. It is a member of the Galway GAA branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association. An exclusively football club, Killererin fields underage teams up to U-16s pla ...
of
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
in the 1976–77
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament which began in season 1970–71. It is the top-tier competition for the senior football clubs of Ireland and London. The current champions are Cuala of D ...
semi-final, setting up a final clash with
Austin Stacks Austin Stacks is a hurling and Gaelic football club based in Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. Founded in 1917, the club has more All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and GAA All-Stars than any other Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA ...
of Kerry. The two teams were very closely matched the whole match, with Austin Stacks effectively winning the game in the last three minutes – the game finishing 1–13 to 2–07. Such was the esteem in which O'Connell was held that virtually all the Austin stacks players rushed to commiserate with him after the match. His role in bringing Ballerin to the All-Ireland final cannot be underestimated – with two seventeen-year-olds, an eighteen-year-old and a nineteen-year-old among the six forwards, his experience and ability were irreplaceable. He retired from club football in 1978, bringing an end to an incredible playing career.


Province

O'Connell played for
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
for many years and won five
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
medals with the province (1965, 1966, 1968, 1970 and 1971). He was captain for the 1971 success.


School

While O'Connell was at St Columb's, the school didn't compete in open competitions, such as the
MacRory Cup The MacRory Cup is an inter-college (school) Gaelic football tournament in Ulster at senior "A" grade. The MacLarnon Cup is the competition for schools at senior 'B' grade. Players must be under nineteen at the start of the tournament. The winn ...
, therefore his football at the school was confined to house and class matches.


Other sports

O'Connell played some soccer with Irish League side
Coleraine F.C. Coleraine Football Club is a Northern Irish football club, playing in the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of the Northern Ireland Football League. The club, founded in 1927 hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry, and plays its home match ...
, playing in the centre half position. Other smaller soccer clubs he lined out for included Park and Dungiven Celtic. He was an outspoken critic of the GAA's
Rule 27 Rule 27 of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), also known as "the Ban", was a rule in force from 1905 to 1971 that banned members of the GAA from playing or watching other sports such as rugby, soccer or hockey. The rule The text of Rule 27
which prohibited its players from playing foreign sports, and received a ban for playing the sport. He was also a decent golfer and in his youth participated in boxing as well as basketball.


Managerial career

O'Connell was manager when Derry Minors won the Ulster Minor and All-Ireland Minor Championships in 1965. He was also manager of the Derry Under 21 team who won Ulster Under 21 and All-Ireland Under 21 Championships three years later in 1968. Many were surprised that he was never given the job of Derry Senior manager. He also served five years as manager of Ballerin and was also Chairman of the club for five years.


Honours


County

*
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...
: ** Runner up: 1958 *
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
: ** Runner up: 1958–1959, 1960–1961, 1975–76 *
Ulster Senior Football Championship The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in April. The final is ...
: ** Winner (4): 1958, 1970, 1975, 1976 ** Runner up: 1957, 1971 *
Dr McKenna Cup The Dr McKenna Cup is an annual Gaelic football competition played between Counties of Ireland, counties and List of universities in Northern Ireland, universities in the province of Ulster GAA, Ulster. It is the secondary Gaelic football compe ...
: ** Winner (5): Years? * Dr Lagan Cup: ** Winner (1): Year?


Club

*
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament which began in season 1970–71. It is the top-tier competition for the senior football clubs of Ireland and London. The current champions are Cuala of D ...
: ** Runner up: 1976–77 *
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament organised by Ulster GAA. It is played between the Senior championship winners from each of the nine counties of Ulster. The competition was first held in 1968 an ...
: ** Winner (1): 1976 *
Derry Senior Football Championship The Derry Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top sixteen Derry GAA clubs. The winners receive the John McLaughlin Cup and qualify to represent Derry in the Ulster Senior Club Football Champio ...
: ** Winner (2): 1957, 1976 ** Runner up: 1953, 1964, 1965, 1972


Province

*
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
– Winner (5): 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971


Individual

*
All Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
: ** Winner (1): 1967 ** Replacement: 1976 ** Nominated (runner up): ?? * Derry Senior football captain: Ye * Captain of Derry Ulster Championship winning team: 1970 * Captain of Ulster Railway Cup winning team: 1971 * Top scorer in All-Ireland Championship: 1974, 1975


Manager / coach


Derry Under 21s

*
All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship The GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EirGrid GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association ...
: ** Winner (1): 1968 *
Ulster Under-21 Football Championship The Ulster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Ulster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest in ...
: ** Winner (1/2??): 1967??, 1968


Derry Minors

*
All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it was replaced by an under ...
: ** Winner (1): 1965 *
Ulster Minor Football Championship The Ulster Minor Football Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council. The trophy for the winning side is T ...
: ** Winner (1): 1965


St Patrick's College, Dungiven

* Ulster title: ** Winner (1): 1965


References


External links


Hogan Stand article on O'Connell (January 1993)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Sean 1930s births 2003 deaths Ballerin Gaelic footballers Derry inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic footballers who switched code Gaelic football managers Gaelic games club administrators Heads of schools in Ireland