Brian O'Connell (born 17 February 1984) is an Irish former hurler and

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 ...

. At club level he played with

Wolfe Tones The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band that incorporate Irish traditional music in their songs. Formed in 1963, they take their name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double meaning of ...

, and also lined out at inter-county level with various

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

teams. O'Connell has been the Clare minor hurling team manager since 2021.

Playing career

Born in Shannon,

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, O'Connell first played hurling at juvenile and underage levels with the

club. He eventually progressed to adult level and won a Clare SHC medal after a defeat of

Newmarket-on-Fergus Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is from Ennis, from Shannon Airport, and from Limerick. History The English rendering of the name 'Newmarket-on-Fergus' probably owes its ori ...

in 2006. O'Connell first appeared on the inter-county scene with

as a member of the minor team in 2002. He later spent three consecutive seasons with the under-21 team. O'Connell was drafted onto the senior team in 2003 and served as

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 three consecutive seasons, including during Clare's 2008 Munster final defeat by Tipperary. O'Connell, who worked as a carpenter, emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in 2010, citing a lack of work in Ireland. He was one of the first high-profile hurlers to leave due to work commitments. O'Connell returned home in 2012 and immediately re-joined the Clare team. A series of ongoing injuries forced him to leave the panel in early 2013.

Management career

O'Connell began his coaching career at club level as a selector with the Wolfe Tones senior team. He was appointed

of the Clare minor team in December 2021, having spent two years working with the group of players at academy level. O'Connell guided the team to the Munster MHC title and All-Ireland MHC title in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Honours

Player

;Wolfe Tones * Clare Senior Hurling Championship: 2006 ;Clare *

Waterford Crystal Cup The Waterford Crystal Cup was an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2006 to 2015 for the top inter-county teams and third-level institutes and universities in the province of Munste ...

: 2009, 2013

Manager

;Clare *

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Associ ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Brian 1984 births Living people Wolfe Tones na Sionna hurlers Clare inter-county hurlers Hurling selectors Hurling managers 21st-century Irish sportsmen