Thomas Conneely (born 24 February 1959) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

former hurler who played as a midfielder at senior level for the Offaly county team. Born in

Banagher Banagher ( or ''Beannchar na Sionna'') is a town in Ireland, located in the midlands, on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. It had a population of 3,000 at the height of its econ ...

County 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 ...

, Connelly first played competitive hurling in his youth. He made his senior debut for Offaly during the 1979-80 National League and subsequently broke onto the starting fifteen. During his career Conneely won one

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...

medal and two

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion. At club level Conneely is a one-time

medallist with St Rynagh's. In addition to this he also won three

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

medals. Conneelly later played with St Gabriel's. Throughout his career Conneely made 16 championship appearances. He played his last game for Offaly during the 1986-87 National League. In retirement from playing Conneely became involved in team management and coaching. He served as manager of the St Gabriel's intermediate hurling team.

Playing career

Club

Conneely played his club hurling with St Rynagh's and experienced much success. In 1981 he won his first

medal following a defeat of

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 ...

. The club made it two-in-a-row in 1982, with Conneely winning a second championship medal. St Rymagh's subsequently reached the provincial decider, with

Buffer's Alley Buffers Alley is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the villages of Kilmuckridge and Monamolin in County Wexford, Ireland. The club fields teams in Intermediate hurling, Gaelic football and camogie. It competes in Wexford competition ...

providing the opposition. A 1-16 to 2-10 victory gave Conneely a

medal. After a controversial semi-final defeat of

Kiltormer Kiltormer is a village about 8 miles from Ballinasloe and situated in county Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the Riv ...

, St Rynagh's reached the All-Ireland decider and faced

Loughgiel Shamrocks Loughgiel Shamrocks GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the village of Loughgiel/ Loughguile in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. They are currently the only club in Ulster to have won an All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Champion ...

. A superb display by Loughgiel goalkeeper

Niall Patterson Niall Patterson (born 2 January 1962) is a former hurler who played as a goalkeeper for the Antrim senior team. Patterson made his first appearance for the team during the 1979 "B" championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen ...

foiled Conneely's side.

Pádraig Horan Pádraig Horan (born 21 April 1950) is an Irish former hurler who played as a full-forward for the Offaly senior hurling team. Horan made his first appearance for the team during the 1968–69 National League and subsequently became a regular ...

of St Rynagh's missed a late free to secure a win, as the game ended 2-5 to 1-8. The replay was more conclusive with goals by Brendan Laverty and Aidan McCarry giving Loughgiel a 2-12 to 1-12 victory. St Rynagh's surrendered their titles the following year; however, Conneely won a third championship medal in 1987 following a defeat of Seir Kieran.

Inter-county

Conneely made his senior debut for Offaly on 18 November 1979 in a 2-9 to 3-4

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 ...

defeat of

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

. He was a regular played during the league campaigns over the next few years, and collected

and

medals as a non-paying substitute. On 30 May 1982 Conneely made his championship debut in a narrow 2-16 to 3-12 Leinster quarter-final defeat of

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

. Conneely won his first Leinster medal on the field of play in 1984 following a 1-15 to 2-11 defeat of Wexford. The subsequent centenary year All-Ireland decider on 2 September 1984 saw

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

providing the opposition. In the first ever championship meeting between the two teams, Cork won with relative ease by 3-16 to 1-12 following second-half goals by Kevin Hennessy and

Seánie O'Leary Seán O'Leary (25 February 1952 – 1 December 2021) was an Irish hurler who played as a left corner-forward at senior level for the Cork county team. Career Born in Youghal, County Cork, Munster, O'Leary first played competitive hurling wh ...

. Offaly retained the provincial crown in 1985, with Conneely adding a second Leinster medal to his collection following a 5-15 to 0-17 trouncing of

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

. Galway provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final on 1 September 1985 and a tense game ensued.

Pat Cleary Pat Cleary (born 15 January 1962) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a right corner-forward for the Offaly senior team. Cleary made his first appearance for the team during the 1981-82 National Hurling League and became a regular playe ...

scored the first goals of the day after twenty-six minutes of play and got his second less than half a minute after the restart.

Joe Dooley Joe Dooley (born 13 November 1963) is an Irish former hurler and manager. Dooley enjoyed a successful playing career at club level with Seir Kieran and is the only Offaly player ever to have won three All-Ireland titles. After a spell as pl ...

had a goal disallowed halfway through the second-half while a long

Joe Cooney Joseph Cooney (born 17 March 1965) is an Irish former hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Galway county team. Born in Bullaun, County Galway, Cooney first played competitive hurling during his schooling at St Raphael ...

effort, which seemed to cross the goal line, was not given. P. J. Molloy was Galway's goal scorer; however, the day belonged to Offaly. A 2-11 to 1-12 victory gave Conneely his first All-Ireland winners' medal on the field of play. Conneely played his last game for Offaly on 12 October 1986 in a 2-7 to 2-13 defeat by Kilkenny in the National Hurling League.

Honours

Player

;St Rynagh's *

Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship The Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association and conte ...

(1):

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

* Offaly Senior Club Hurling Championship (3): 1981, 1982, 1987 ;Offaly *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...

(2):

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

(sub),

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

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

(4):

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

(sub),

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conneely, Tom 1959 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Hurling coaches Hurling managers Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Offaly inter-county hurlers St Gabriel's hurlers St Rynagh's hurlers