Con O'Callaghan (born April 1996) is an Irish sportsman. He plays

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 ...

for the

Dublin county football team The Dublin county football team represents County Dublin, Dublin in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Dublin GAA, the County board (Gaelic games), county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annu ...

. He is a

dual player Dual player or dual star is a term used in Hiberno-English to describe someone who competes in multiple sports — for example, in Victorian Ireland, cricket and hurling. The term today in Gaelic games typically describes a male player who plays ...

for the Cuala club, in football senior "A" and hurling senior "A". He was also a dual player at inter-county minor level. O'Callaghan is a capable free-taker; however, with Dublin he was not required to take them, when

Dean Rock Dean Rock (born 26 February 1990) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who was a senior member of the Dublin county team from 2013 to 2023. He has represented Dublin at all grades, Minor, Junior, U21 and Senior. He is a noted free taker and scored t ...

and

Cormac Costello Cormac Costello (born 18 July 1994) is a Gaelic football forward for the Dublin county team, with which he has won eight All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and five National Football League medals. The former Ardscoil Rís studen ...

were on the field.

Playing career

Club

O'Callaghan plays football and hurling for the Cuala club. He is part of Cuala's Senior Hurling team and has won Dublin Senior 'A' titles in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020, Leinster Senior 'A' titles in 2016 and 2017 and All Ireland Senior 'A' titles in 2017 and 2018 He is part of Cuala's Senior Football team and has won Dublin Senior 'A', Leinster Senior 'A' and All Ireland Senior 'A' titles in 2024. He is one of a small number of players to have won club All Ireland titles in both Hurling and Football.

College

O'Callaghan played for UCD and won the 2018

Sigerson Cup The Sigerson Cup is the trophy for the premier Gaelic football championship among Higher Education institutions (Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Technology) in Ireland. It traditionally begins in mid January and ends in late February. T ...

Inter-county

O'Callaghan made his football championship debut for Dublin against

Laois County Laois ( ; ) 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 medieval kingdom. Hist ...

in the quarter-final of the

2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 129th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA's premier inter-county gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. 33 teams took part. 31 of the 32 Counties of Ire ...

. He scored a single point against Laois as Dublin progressed to the Leinster semi-final. He made his second appearance against in Dublin's semi final victory over Meath and continued this trend in the final against Westmeath. He failed to make an appearance outside the Leinster Championship but won a medal as a squad member of the 2016 All-Ireland Champions Dublin.

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

started with O'Callaghans first start as a senior inter-county footballer with Dublin. He started the game against

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

in the quarter final of the Leinster Championship. He scored two points from frees and failed to score from play in the victory over a very defensive Carlow side. In the Leinster semi final against Westmeath, he scored his first points of the 2017 campaign from play. He scored a total of three points from play in Dublin's victory over Westmeath in the semi-final. In July 2017, he won his second Leinster senior football championship with Dublin what proved to be his most prolific game from a scoring point of view. He scored a total of 0–12 points against Kildare at Croke Park and helped guide Dublin to their seventh consecutive Leinster Championship title. He took six frees during the game and scored six points. O'Callaghan won the

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 ...

with Dublin in 2017, scoring a total of 1–3 against Galway at O'Connor Park. O'Callaghan scored his first senior goal for Dublin in their

2017 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2017 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 130th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. Thirty-three teams took part – thirty-one of t ...

semi-final win over Tyrone. In the 2017 All-Ireland Final, O'Callaghan scored a goal for Dublin after 90 seconds of play as they went on to win their third All-Ireland title in a row. In November 2017, O'Callaghan won his first football All-Star award and was also named as the

GAA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year The GAA & GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), perc ...

. He provided the assist for Niall Scully's goal in the

2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 131st final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the culmination of the 2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in Gaelic football. The match was played at Cro ...

. By 2019, his physical development had reached remarkable proportions. Never physically light to begin with, he sported a shaven head to add to his tougher image. According to Alan Brogan, O'Callaghan had built a gym at the back of his house. In the 11th minute of a game against

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

, O'Callaghan collected a pass by

Brian Fenton Brian Fenton (born 2 March 1994) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for the Raheny club and previously for the Dublin county team. He was the 2018 and 2020 GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year. Education and family His father (Brian senior), is from ...

from above his head past the "D" and fell onto his twisted right leg. His former Dublin under-21 manager Dessie Farrell later remarked on the fall: "It was a model for a cruciate njury wasn't it?... I thought he was hurt the way he landed there for sure, but it's just a mark of his athleticism". O'Callaghan rose from the awkward fall without effort, immediately hopped the ball and sent it over the bar for a point. The headline in the printed edition read: "The crowning of King Con". In the All-Ireland semi-final, he scored two goals past

Lee Keegan Lee Keegan (born 25 October 1989) is a Gaelic footballer who plays as a defender for Westport and, formerly, for the Mayo county team. Many regard Keegan as his county's greatest ever footballer. He is also the highest scoring defender of all- ...

and took a fierce hit from Mayo goalkeeper Rob Hennelly but was unaffected. On 8th April 2025 Con O'Callaghan was named Dublin Senior Football Captain for 2025. The Cuala man took the armband from James McCarthy, who retired the previous year.

Career statistics

Honours

;UCD *

: 2018 ;Cuala Hurling *

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

: 2016-17, 2017-18 *

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 GAA, Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Associa ...

: 2016-17, 2017-18 *

Dublin Senior Hurling Championship The Dublin Senior Hurling Championship () is an annual hurling competition organised by the Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) since 1887 for the top hurling clubs in County Dublin, Ireland. Sixteen clubs compete. In ...

: 2016,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, 2020 Football *

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 ...

2024-25 A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...

Leinster Senior Club Football Championship The Leinster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament played on a knockout basis between the senior club championship winners of the competing counties in Leinster. The current holders of the Leinster title are K ...

: 2024 *

Dublin Senior Football Championship The Dublin Senior Football Championship (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the '' Go-Ahead'' Dublin Senior Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition between the top Dublin GAA clubs. The winners of t ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

* Dublin Senior B Football Championship: 2020 ;Dublin *

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 ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

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 ...

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA, Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Asso ...

: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 *

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 ...

Division 1: 2016, 2018, 2021 *

Division 2: 2023 *

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 ...

Leinster Under-21 Football Championship The Leinster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the high ...

Leinster Minor Football Championship The Leinster Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in gaelic football played in the province of Leinster. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under 17 ...

: 2014 ;Awards *

: 2017 * Sunday Game Team of the Year: 2017, 2019, 2020 *

GAA GPA All Stars Awards The Gaelic Athletic Association-Gaelic Players' Association All Stars Awards (often known simply as the All Stars) are awarded annually to the best player in each of the 15 playing positions in Gaelic football and hurling. Additionally, one play ...

: 2017, 2019, 2020 *All-Ireland SFC Final Man of the Match: 2020 * AIB GAA Club Player of the Year (football): 2025 * AIB GAA Club Team of the Year (football): 2025 * AIB GAA Club Team of the Year (hurling): 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OCallaghan, Con 1996 births Living people Cuala Gaelic footballers Cuala hurlers Dual players Dublin inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic football forwards Gaelic games players from Dublin (city) UCD Gaelic footballers Winners of six All-Ireland medals (Gaelic football) 21st-century Irish sportsmen