Ben O'Connor

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Ben O'Connor
irish = Beircheart Ó Conchubhair
fullname = Bernard O'Connor
placeofbirth = Newtownshandrum
countryofbirth = County Cork
bday=25
bmonth=1
byear= 1979
dyear=
dday=
dmonth=
height = 5' 10"
nickname =
county = Cork
province = Munster
club = Newtownshandrum
clposition = Forward
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty =
clprovince=
clallireland =
counties = Cork
icposition = Right corner-forward
icyears = 1999-
icapps(points) = 37 (5-128)
icprovince = 5
icallireland = 3
allstars = 1
clupdate =
icupdate = August 4, 2007

Ben O'Connor (born January 25, 1979) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Newtownshandrum and with the Cork senior inter-county team.

Early & private life

Ben O’Connor was born in the village of Newtownshandrum, County Cork in 1979. He is, along with his twin brother Jerry, the eldest in a family of ten children. O’Connor was born into a family that had a strong association with the game of hurling. His father, Bernie O'Connor, had played at minor, under-21 and senior levels for Cork in the 1960s, winning a minor All-Ireland medal in 1967. O’Connor was educated at the local national school before later attending Mannix College in Charleville. While going to school here he had his first All-Ireland success when he won a Senior Vocational Schools medal.

O’Connor currently works with his father as a hurley maker in Newtownshandrum village.

Playing career

Club

O’Connor plays his club hurling with his local Newtownshandrum club. He enjoyed much success at underage levels, winning practically every hurling competition from under-12 upwards. In 1996 he was barely seventeen years-old, however, he played a key role when Newtown won the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship title. Two years later in 1998 O’Connor won a Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship title, with two more titles following in 1999 and 2000. That same year the O’Connor twins were instrumental in helping the club to win its first ever senior county championship title. Three years later in 2003 O’Connor added a second senior county title before later landing a Munster club hurling medal as well as an All-Ireland club medal. In 2006 he won another brace of county and provincial medals, however, Newtown were later defeated by Portumna in the All-Ireland final.

Inter-county

O’Connor’s skills quickly brought him to the attention of the Cork inter-county selectors. He won an All-Ireland medal as a substitute with the Cork under-21 hurling team in 1998 and he quickly joined the senior team. In 1999 O’Connor won his first senior Munster Championship medal before later winning his first senior All-Ireland title following a one-point win over Kilkenny. In 2000 O’Connor added as second Munster medal to his collection, however, Cork were later defeated by Offaly in the All-Ireland semi-final.

In 2001 O’Connor was captain of the senior hurling team, however, Cork hurling took a dramatic downturn culminating in a players strike in 2002. In 2003 the Cork hurlers were back and O’Connor won his third Munster title. The team were later defeated by Kilkenny in an exciting All-Ireland final. In 2004 O’Connor was captain of the team for a second time, however, his side were defeated by Waterford in one of the greatest Munster finals of all-time. In spite of this O’Connor’s side qualified for another All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny. Exactly five years after he won his first All-Ireland medal, O’Connor now added a second to his collection.

In 2005 O’Connor won a fourth Munster medal before later winning a third All-Ireland medal following a win over Galway. Both Ben his brother Jerry finished off the year by becoming the first set of twins to be presented with All-Star awards. In 2006 O’Connor won a fifth provincial medal before later qualifying to play in a fourth consecutive All-Ireland final. Once again Kilkenny provided the opposition, however, Cork were stopped in their bid to win three finals in-a-row.

Teams