Donal O'Connor

From the Town Tattler Vol 2 Issue 3.

This month we caught up with our Club Hurling Secretary, Donal O'Connor, a proud Cork man and now a true Townie.

Growing Up in Cork

I was born in Cork 1963. My father was from close to Coachford between the City and Macroom. My mother was from North Cork. I have an older brother and a younger sister and brother. We were steps of stairs and lived on the Blackrock Road overlooking the old Passage railway line.

I started primary school at St Michaels in Blackrock before moving to Scoil Chríost Rí in Turners Cross. When asked why the move? You see a goat or other pet animal put in with a thoroughbred horse to keep them company, well the parents of the chap I was great pals with had academic ambitions for him and I was the goat to keep him company. I enjoyed my time there and later in Coláiste Chríost Rí, not for the academic side of things but the sport.

Our playground in Blackrock started on the Railway Line, which at that time was an overgrown track, but gave you access to Ringmahon and if the tide was out back around to the castle, via Ballinure, on to the village. In the other direction you had the Marina and the river. There was a lot of open fields at that time, the city hadn’t fully reached us.

I still remember getting milk from a farmer opposite the Blackrock club on Church Road during a CMP Dairy strike. At the end of Post Office Avenue was a small estate where we went for our soccer matches. Those pickup games provided a great learning curve, as you could be playing against chaps who could be three or four year or more older than you. The other lesson taught there was ground football, because any ball that went over the wall and onto the railway line meant a scramble through briars and rubble to retrieve it. If we weren’t playing soccer there our time was spent on Church Road playing football or hurling. Living within a fifteen minute walk from Pairc Uí Chaoimh, Flower Lodge and Church Road there was always a match to go to.

Sport

Sport played a big part of my youth. I was swimming from a very young age, travelling by the No.2 bus to the Eglinton Street baths behind the City Hall. When I was in school it meant getting a lift into the City for seven in the morning and walking up to school for nine. I would have swam competitively up to about twelve or thirteen when the GAA took over. I continued to play water polo and did some lifesaving when time permitted till leaving school.

I would have played street leagues hurling with Blackrock and football with St. Michaels. My hurling skills were to say the least limited but I was able to hold my own on the football field. Neither teams at my age group had any success but it was still very enjoyable. I finished with hurling after minor. I continued to play football with St. Michaels, playing u21, junior and Senior Kelleher Shield. Turners Cross was very much football first. Primary school class leagues were an important part of the school year. I played football and for a short few years hurling for Coláiste Chríost Rí.

A brother Colm Taff looked after the younger football teams with Kevin Cummins the senior side. They both had a deep interest in football, training would have been two or three times a week. They expected full commitment, expecting players to attend midterm and even Christmas holidays for training.

Brother Colm in particular spent a lot of time developing skills and ironing out weaknesses. He would take individuals and small groups for extra work, and had no difficulty taking players out of class to do extra training.

Kevin Cummins was very astute and prepared his teams to be ready for every opponent. He was always studying new training techniques and practices. A keen photographer he had some training and matches filmed for him to analyse. Their approach showed that coaching was more than putting fifteen chaps onto a field and letting them on, which was all I had known up to then.

Playing full back and corner back I had success winning a county U14 football and twice u15½ Munster football titles. I also won an U15 Munster hurling title against St. Flannans, the first team from the college to win that title.

That game stands out for me in that I played corner back and never strayed too far from my man, or my corner. In the first half our full forward was sent off for retaliation after taking a dunt too many from their full back, and I was dispatched across the half way line for the only time in my hurling career to full forward.

I never played the ball for the remainder of the match, but neither did the full back and he was on his best behaviour for the rest of the game.

The coach of the hurling team met my older brother a few years after I left school. The relationship to me was established and he told my brother I wasn’t on the team for my wristy hurling but contributed in other ways.

A lesson that everyone has a role to play in a team. Most of that team were beaten in a Harty cup final by the North Monastery in 1981.

I was on the panel that won the Corn Uí Mhuirí in 1980 and played in 1981 losing a semi-final to Ballyvourney. At that time Cork colleges dominated with the North Monastery and Deerpark our most difficult opponents, winning and losing to both.

A back injury hampered me and by the time I arrived in Portlaoise had to step away.

Settling in Portlaoise

I sat the leaving cert in 1981 and spent a year in the Regional College in Cork, supposedly studying electronics, mostly playing soccer.

I joined An Garda Síochána in 1983 and arrived in Portlaoise in April 1984. I met Paula Bowe from Dr. Murphy Place and we were married in 1987.

We initially lived in Hawthorn Drive, where Cathal was born, before moving to Rossleighan in 1998 where Eoin was born. I was stationed in Portlaoise throughout my career. I spent twenty years with the regular units and the last twelve year with the Traffic Corp.

I retired in 2016 having served thirty two years. I enjoyed my time making lifelong friends within and outside the force. Retirement afforded me the opportunity to do things at an even slower pace. I enjoy walking and a little gardening. I always read and still enjoy sitting down with a good book.

"The Town"

Cathal and Eoin’s involvement with Portlaoise was my entry way to the club. Like all parents, travelling to matches encouraging and supporting them. I helped out with the lads' teams as time allowed.

I drifted into helping with the hurling side as there was always plenty of help with the football. I always encouraged them to play both codes as I had done. As it transpired they had their successes with the hurling rather than the football.

Cathal was part of the 2009 Feile Division 2 hurling winning side. That group showed great battling qualities, coming back from the dead to beat a very strong Belfast side in their opening game.

For me their best performance was in the semi-final on a Saturday evening against an excellent Kerry side in Durrow.

Cathal had great cut and determination which he demonstrated particularly in that game. A very close low scoring game where the win had to be ground out and showed the grit and fight that you look for in every winning team. Work commitments prevented Cathal continuing playing.

Eoin was on the football Feile team that lost in their divisional final in Mayo in 2014.

Representing Laois in minor hurling in 2017, with the age group a year older, was the product of hard work and dedication over the previous years, was a proud day for me.

Winning against Offaly and Meath they lost to Dublin by two points and well beaten by Kilkenny. Eoin didn’t get the opportunity to play with his own age group in 2018 as that was the year the minor switched to u17. Eoin is currently on the senior hurling team.

Retirement allowed me to give some time to help more with the club. I was Covid Officer with the Senior Hurlers and assisted Brian Delaney keeping the recent club history up to date. I’m currently the Hurling Secretary.

Getting Involved in Club Life

There is a time commitment involved, but I think sport is a very important part of life and without the work carried out off the pitch the games would not get played. Being involved is also a great social outlet, meeting new and old friends, and through my involvement renewed old acquaintances.

The Challenges Ahead

With Club 25 and the greater involvement of the members I can only see the club improving and expanding. The challenge of developing progressive coaches and reaching out to the wide skill set of the members, in administration, finance, planning etc. will be the key to this continued development.

Football and hurling have changed greatly since my playing days. In football holding your position and your man is not good enough now. Forward and backs must be capable of interchanging and defending and attacking as a team. One player not pulling his weight leaves the team exposed. Hurling is very much about touch and speed of thought and demands, as in football, a clear picture of how the team wants to play.

The biggest challenge for a dual club is how to marry the time needed to ensure that players get the time to be properly prepared to be competitive.

Best Players Seen and Played

I was lucky to play football with the likes of John Kerins who played with my age group in Coláiste Chríost Rí. An outstanding goalkeeper and true gentleman.

Also on that team was Tony Leahy, a Barrs man and a great leader on the pitch who like John went on to play for Cork.

In that group was Kieran O'Regan who went on to have a long career in English Soccer and gained a number of Ireland caps. Kieran was our go to forward and missed that 1981 semi due to soccer commitments. Losing him was probably the difference for us in that game.

Tom Prendergast, Bruno McCormack and Colm Browne were all magnificent footballers and equal to any on the field.

The player I always had admired was Dave Barry. Playing a few years ahead of me in school he excelled in all sport but on a football field he combined sublime skills with teak toughness and always led from the front.

John Taylor, Pat Critchley and Tommy Fitzgerald were all top hurlers able to match anyone with their skill and commitment.

Cahir Healy in both codes has an extraordinary work ethic in training and playing.

His unfailing commitment to improving and developing his game and skillset and a mental toughness with a single mindedness to any task assigned to him makes Cahir an example for any young player looking to progress.

I was lucky to grow up watching the likes of Frank and Ray Cummins, Dermot McCurtin, Pat Moylan and John (Hoggy) Horgan in Blackrock and Jimmy Barry Murphy with the Barrs and Cork. Tom and Jim Cashman lived ten doors down from me on the Blackrock Road. Those guys spent every day with a hurl in their hand. They had outrageous wrists but married with a steel needed to be winners.