Daire O'Connor is an Irish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a winger for

Lowland Football League The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) and the Park’s Motor Group Scottish Lowland League for sponsorship reasons is a senior football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits a ...

side

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...

, on loan from club

Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, who currently compete in . They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilto ...

Club career

UCD

A native of

Arklow Arklow ( ; ; ) is a town in County Wicklow on the southeast coast of Ireland. The town is overlooked by Ballymoyle Hill. It was founded by the Vikings in the ninth century. Arklow was the site of one of the Battle of Arklow, bloodiest battles ...

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

, O'Connor began playing football with his local side Arklow Town and

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 ...

club Home Farm before joining the Under 19 side of UCD in August 2014. He made his first team debut for the club on 7 March 2015, the opening day of the

2015 League of Ireland First Division The 2015 League of Ireland First Division season was the 31st season of the League of Ireland First Division. The First Division was contested by eight teams. Wexford Youths won the title and Finn Harps were also promoted after winning a play o ...

season, replacing Dylan Watts in the 89th minute of a 3–0 win over

Cobh Ramblers Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) is an Irish football club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colman's Park. The club's colours are clare ...

St Colman's Park St Colman's Park is a football stadium in Cobh, County Cork. It is home to Cobh Ramblers F.C. of the League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorsh ...

. In February 2018, he scored a 93rd minute winner in the final of the

Collingwood Cup The Collingwood Cup is an association football cup competition featuring university teams from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Universities Football Union, and is the oldest surviving all Ireland asso ...

against QUB. He was part of the side that won the

2018 League of Ireland First Division The 2018 League of Ireland First Division season was the 34th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The league began on 23 February 2018 and concluded on 22 September 2018. Contrary to the previous editions, this tournament had 10 team ...

title, which was confirmed with a 1–1 draw against

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...

at the

UCD Bowl The UCD Bowl, also known as the Belfield Bowl, is a rugby union and football stadium in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is the home ground of University College Dublin R.F.C. in the AIB All Ireland League and League of Ireland Premier ...

on 14 September 2018. O'Connor was voted by his fellow League of Ireland First Division players into the PFAI First Division Team of the Year for

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 ...

. He made a total of 86 appearances in all competitions during his 4 seasons at the club, scoring 12 goals. March 2019 saw O'Connor named Colleges and Universities Player of the Year at the

FAI International Football Awards The FAI International Football Awards is an awards evening held to honour the best Republic of Ireland international footballers of the year. Senior International awards Senior International Player of the Year Senior Women's International Pl ...

for his performances for

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

side.

Cork City

Deaspite leaving UCD at the end of the season, O'Connor still moved up to the

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

signing for

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

ahead of the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

. He made his Premier Division debut in the opening game of the season away to

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...

as his side lost 1–0 at

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...

but he did enough to impress the watching

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

manager

Mick McCarthy Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional Manager (association football), football manager, pundit and former Association football, footballer. He was most recently the head coach of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool. McCarthy b ...

who said 'Daire O'Connor, he was the one player who stood out for me, he played very very well I thought. Whether it was on the right or on the left, he went and played in behind the striker. He was the one that stood out.' On 6 October 2020, it was announced that he had left the club, just 5 games before the end of the season after being told he was surplus to requirements by manager

Neale Fenn Neale Michael Charles Fenn (born 18 January 1977) is a former professional footballer who is also the former manager of League of Ireland clubs Longford Town and Cork City. Club career Early career Fenn played for Tottenham Hotspur, making his ...

. In the days the announcement, O'Connor revealed that he was 'baffled' at being told he was no longer required at the club following no falling out with his manager, stating 'I didn't expect to go in Monday morning to training and not go back again.' He scored 5 goals in 47 appearances over his 2 seasons at the club.

Cliftonville

O'Connor signed for

NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and Irish Premiership colloquially, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football L ...

side

Cliftonville Cliftonville is a coastal area of Margate in the Thanet District, Thanet district of Kent, England. It includes the Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay estate, built in the 1930s with wide avenues and detached and semi-detached houses with driveways, gar ...

on 21 October 2020 until the end of the season. In March 2021, Cliftonville manager Paddy McLaughlin called O'Connor 'unplayable' and backed him for a big future in the game. He scored 8 goals in 39 games for the club over the season.

Ayr United

On 28 July 2021, O'Connor signed for

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...

side

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the , the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is The Honest Men, fro ...

. He made his debut for the club on 2 August 2021 in a 2–0 loss to

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

Rugby Park Rugby Park, also known as The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park for sponsorship reasons, is a association football, football stadium which is the home of Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock F.C. and is situated in the Scotland, Scottish town of Kilmarnoc ...

. O'Connor scored his first goal for the club on 14 September 2021, opening the scoring in a 3–0

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,Rangers B. He spent 2 seasons at the club, making a total of 59 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice.

Glentoran

On 24 June 2023, O'Connor signed for

club

Glentoran Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club based in East Belfast, Northern Ireland, that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882 and has since won more than 130 major honours. They are one of three Northern Iris ...

. He made his debut for the club on 13 July 2023, scoring his first career European goal in a 2–2 draw away to Gżira United of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

in a

UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...

tie. O'Connor scored 13 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions during his season with the club, as they came 5th in the league.

Hamilton Academical

On 23 July 2024, O'Connor signed a two-year-contract with

side

. After making just 7 appearances in all competitions, the last of those coming in October 2024, he was sent out on loan in March 2025 in search of regular first team football.

East Kilbride loan

On 10 March 2025, O'Connor joined

side

on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut the following day in a 2–1 win away to Linlithgow Rose in the Semi Final of the Lowland League Cup. On 15 March 2025, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–2 win over

Musselburgh Athletic Musselburgh Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Musselburgh, East Lothian. Formed in 1934, they have played under different names including Musselburgh Bruntonians, Musselburgh Juniors and Musselburgh Fern s ...

in the South Challenge Cup. On 30 March 2025, he scored in a 3–1 win over Bo'ness United in the Final of the Lowland League Cup. On 2 April 2025, he was part of the side that won the

2024–25 Lowland Football League The 2024–25 Scottish Lowland Football League (known as the Park's Motor Group Scottish Lowland Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 12th season of the Lowland Football League, part of the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyrami ...

after a 2–1 win away to University of Sterling.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

;UCD *

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...

;East Kilbride *

: 2024–25 *Lowland League Cup: 2024–25 * South Challenge Cup: 2024–25https://www.cityliveglasgow.com/journalism/kennedys-east-kilbride-seal-third-triumph-of-the-week

Individual

* PFAI First Division Team of the Year:

* FAI Colleges and Universities Player of the Year:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Daire Living people 1997 births Men's association football midfielders Association footballers from County Wicklow Republic of Ireland men's association footballers University College Dublin A.F.C. players Cork City F.C. players Cliftonville F.C. players Ayr United F.C. players Glentoran F.C. players Hamilton Academical F.C. players East Kilbride F.C. players League of Ireland players NIFL Premiership players Scottish Professional Football League players Lowland Football League players Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers 21st-century Irish sportsmen