James O'Connor (hurler)

James O'Connor (born 26 August 1975) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who is the current manager of the Waterford minor hurling team. He played for club side Lismore and at inter-county level with the Waterford senior hurling team.

James O'Connor
Personal information
Irish name Séamus Ó Conchúir
Sport Hurling
Position Left corner-back
Born (1975-08-26) 26 August 1975 (age 49)
Lismore,
County Waterford, Ireland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Nickname Joxer
Club(s)
Years Club
1993-2013
Lismore
Club titles
Waterford titles 1
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1996-2002
Waterford
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 1
All-Irelands 0
NHL 0
All Stars 0

Playing career

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O'Connor played hurling while in secondary school at Lismore CBS. He also had a number of juvenile and underage successes with Lismore GAA club, beginning with a Waterford MHC title in 1990 before claiming back-to-back Waterford U21HC titles in 1992 and 1993. O'Connor had just progressed to adult level when he won a Waterford SHC medal in 1993 after Lismore's one-point defeat of Passage in the final.[1] He also won a Waterford IFC medal with the Lismore Gaelic footballers in 2000. O'Connor brought his 20-year club career to an end in 2013, having spent the last few years lining out at junior level.

O'Connor's inter-county career with Waterford began at minor level. He was part of the Waterford team beaten by Galway in the 1992 All-Ireland minor final.[2] O'Connor progressed to the under-21 team and captained the team to the Munster U21HC title in 1994.[3] A period with the junior team was followed by a call-up to the senior team in 1996. O'Connor was a substitute when Waterford beat Tipperary by 2–23 to 3–12 in the 2002 Munster final.[4]

Coaching career

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O'Connor's first success in management came in 2011 when he guided Carrigtwohill to their first Cork SHC title in 93 years.[5] He later spent three seasons as manager of Dungarvan before returning to Cork to take charge of the Fr O'Neill's club. Under O'Connor, the club claimed Cork PIHC and Munster Club IHC titles in 2019, before losing the 2020 All-Ireland intermediate club final to Tullaroan.[6][7][8]

O'Connor succeeded Henry Shefflin as Ballyhale Shamrocks manager in 2020. During his two-year tenure he managed the team to back-to-back Kilkenny SHC titles and one Leinster Club SHC title, before losing to Ballygunner in the 2022 All-Ireland club final.[9] He served one year as Midleton manager in 2022.[10] O'Connor accepted his first inter-county role in October 2022 when he was appointed manager of the Waterford minor hurling team.[11]

Honours

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Player

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Lismore
Waterford

Management

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Carrigtwohill
Fr O'Neill's
Ballyhale Shamrocks

References

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  1. ^ Murphy, John (10 October 2009). "Shanahan aiming to bridge title gap". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Minor hurling". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Under 20 hurling". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  4. ^ Breheny, Martin (1 July 2002). "Waterford wonders whip Tipp with awesome display". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  5. ^ "O'Farrell keeps his cool for Carrig to end 93-year wait". Irish Independent. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  6. ^ Horgan, John (13 October 2019). "Dalton and Dunne deliver glory for Fr O'Neill's hurlers against Kilworth". Evening Echo. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  7. ^ O'Callaghan, Therese (24 November 2019). "Fr O'Neill's claim Munster club intermediate hurling title". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  8. ^ O'Callaghan, Therese (19 January 2020). "'The craziest game I was ever involved in': Intermediate in name only as Tulloran edge Fr O'Neills in epic final". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Ballyhale manager steps down". Irish Examiner. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Colm (1 March 2022). "James O'Connor confirmed as new Midleton coach for 2022 campaign". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  11. ^ "O'Connor and Murphy proposed as new Waterford minor managers". WLRFM website. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2024.