Gemma O'Connor (camogie)

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Gemma O'Connor
Personal information
Irish name Gemma Ní Chonchúir
Sport Camogie
Position Half-back, midfield, half-forward
Born 1985 (age 3839)
Cork, Ireland
Club(s)
YearsClub
St Finbarr's
Inter-county(ies)
YearsCounty
2002–2020
Cork
Inter-county titles
All-Irelands 9
All Stars 11

Gemma O'Connor (born 1985) is a camogie player. She is the most decorated player in the sport. [1]

Contents

Born in Cork, O'Connor won All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship medals in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. She is an eleven-time Camogie All Star award winner, six of which she received in succession: (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015,2017 and 2018). She was also a member of the Team of the Championship for 2011.

Career

O'Connor captained the Cork senior team in 2007 and 2019, and is the holder of All-Ireland Minor and Senior Championship honours along with National League Senior and Junior medals. She represented Cork in the Féile na nGael skills in 1998 and was camogie player of the year in 2005 and 2015, as well as winning one county senior camogie championship title. [2]

Personal life

O'Connor's brother, Glen, lined out with Cork in the 2009 National Hurling League while her uncle, Bill Geaney, captained Cork to an All-Ireland Under 21 Hurling Championship title. [3] In her autobiography, Why not a Warrior (written with Sinead Farrell), O'Connor stated that she met her wife Aoife, a teacher, in 2012 as a result of O'Connor playing association football for Knockavilla Celtic in West Cork, around thirty minutes from where she lived (Knockavilla's manager was Aoife's father). [1]

O'Connor is a soldier in the Irish Army. [1]

Related Research Articles

The All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship is a competition for inter-county teams in the women's field sport of game of camogie played in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Camogie Association and are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland Camogie Final being played in Croke Park, Dublin. The prize for the winning team is the O'Duffy Cup.

The Camogie All Star Awards are awarded each November to 15 players who have made outstanding contributions to the Irish stick and ball team sport of camogie in the 15 traditional positions on the field: goalkeeper, three full backs, three half-backs, two midfields, three half-forwards and three full-forwards. They were awarded for the first time in 2003 as an independent initiative sponsored by a hotel group and accorded official status by the Camogie Association in 2004.

Valley Rovers GAA Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in the parish of Innishannon in County Cork, Ireland. The club was formed in 1919 when two teams in the parish, Innishannon and Knockavilla, came together. The club fields teams in hurling, camogie, Gaelic football and Ladies' football. It participates in the Carrigdhoun division of Cork GAA.

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 both Gaelic football and hurling or, if a female player, a player of ladies' Gaelic football and camogie. The player does not necessarily have to play at the same standard in both sports. The number of dual stars at county level has decreased recently due to the increasing demands placed upon the best players of both sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killeagh GAA</span>

Killeagh GAA club is a hurling and Gaelic football club located in the small village of Killeagh in east County Cork, Ireland. The club is affiliated with the East Cork division of Imokilly and the Cork county board.

Angela Downey-Browne is a retired Irish sportsperson. She played camogie with her local clubs, St Paul's based in Kilkenny city and Lisdowney, and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1970-95. Downey is regarded as the greatest player in the history of the game.

Mary O'Connor is an Irish sportsperson. A dual player, she played both ladies' Gaelic football and camogie. As a footballer O Connor has played with her local clubs Donoughmore and Inch Rovers and was a member of the Cork county ladies' football team at senior level from 1994 until 2010. She has won five All-Ireland titles. As a camogie player O'Connor played for her local club Killeagh and was a member of the Cork county camogie team at senior level since 1996. Since then she has won seven All-Ireland titles. O'Connor is one of the most decorated players in the history of Gaelic games. Winner of All Ireland camogie medals in 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 and All Star awards in 2005, 2006 and 2009.

Amanda O'Regan is a camogie player and secondary school teacher based in Kanturk, winner of All Ireland medals in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. She scored a crucial goal in the 2005 final when her speculative 45 found its way into the Tipperary goal. She was a nominee for All Star awards in 2006 and 2007. Amanda won three Ashbourne Cup medals with University of Limerick. She is the holder of All-Ireland Minor, Junior and Senior honours and is also an accomplished basketball player. Her father, Michael, won an All-Ireland Minor football medal and is a selector today, while mother, Christine, captured a Junior All-Ireland medal in 1980. Amanda captained her club, Douglas, to their first Senior county championship title in 2008 and captained Cork to the 2009 All Ireland championship.

Aoife Murray is a Camogie player and quantity surveyor based in Cork, winner of All Ireland medals in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. All Star awards in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017. Minor, Junior, Intermediate as well as her Senior All-Ireland medals and Munster championship honours in all grades. Won three county Senior championship medals with Cloughduv and was captain in 2005 for their third county title. Sister of former Cork Senior hurler, Kevin Murray, who won an All- Ireland medal in 1999. A series of impressive saves in the 2009 All Ireland final won for her the "player of the match" award from RTÉ.

Cathriona Foley is a Lecturer in University College Cork and camogie player and winner of All Ireland medals in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. She won All Star awards in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Cathriona captained Cork to the All-Ireland Senior title in 2008 and is also the holder of an All-Ireland Minor medal as well as provincial honours at Minor, Junior, Intermediate and Senior. Holds a Junior 'B', Junior 'A' and Senior 'B' county championship medal with her club and won a Senior 'A' championship title while captaining divisional side Muskerry in 2007. Her father, Dan Joe, won a minor hurling All-Ireland with Cork. Cathriona is the holder of All Star awards and has lined out with UCC in the Ashbourne Cup. Sisters Mairéad and Colleen and brother Daniel wore the Cork colours at under-age level.

Joanne O'Callaghan born 1983 in Cork is a camogie player and pharmacy representative, winner of All Ireland medals in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2014. She captained Cork to the All-Ireland title in 2006 and is in her 13th season on the Senior team. She also has Minor and Intermediate All-Ireland championship medals to her credit as well as Ashbourne Cup and Gael Linn honours. She holds three county Senior championship medals with her club, Cloughduv.

Rena Buckley is an Irish sportswoman who played at senior level for both the Cork county ladies' football team and the Cork county camogie team. She has also represented Munster in the Gael Linn Cup and Ireland at international rules. Between 2005 and 2017 she won 18 All-Ireland winners medals, making her one of the most decorated sportspeople in Gaelic games. In 2012 she captained Cork when they won the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship and in 2017 she captained Cork when they won the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship. She was the first player to captain Cork to both All-Ireland senior championships. She was also named as an All Star on eleven occasions. In 2015 Buckley and her team mate and fellow dual player, Briege Corkery, were named joint winners of the 2015 The Irish Times/ Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Briege Corkery in Cork is a camogie player, ladies' Gaelic footballer, and winner of seven All Ireland Senior Camogie medals in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2018 as well as the winner of eleven All Ireland Senior Ladies' Football medals in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Una O'Donoghue born 1981 in Lissarda, County Cork, Ireland is a camogie player, winner of All Ireland camogie medals in 2002, when she was team captain, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. She led her club to their first county Senior championship title in 2001. She is the holder of Ashbourne Cup and league honours with UCC. as well as National League medals with Cork. She has won three county Senior medals in total with her club.

Marie O'Connor is a camogie player and Garda. She played in the 2009 All Ireland camogie final. Marie is a niece of Bridie McGarry, winner of nine All- Ireland Senior medals and captain of the Kilkenny team that beat Cork in the 1987 final. Marie won a Junior All-Ireland medal in 2002 and added National League honours in 2008 when she captained Kilkenny. On the club scene she has ten county, five Leinster and three All- Ireland medals, and scored the most important goal of her career to date in the 2009 All Ireland semi-final win over Galway.

Anna Geary is a camogie player and television personality from Milford, County Cork, Ireland.

Kate Kelly is a camogie player, winner of nine All-Star awards in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. In 2007, she helped Wexford win their first All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship in 32 years. and further All Ireland medals in 2010, 2011 and 2012 when she was player of the match in the All Ireland final.

Aoife O'Connor is a camogie player, Winner of All-Ireland Senior medals in 2007, 2010 and 2011 and captain of the Wexford team that won the National Camogie League in 2009 on the week that she married.

St Vincent's Hurling and Football Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Blarney Street and Sundays Well parts of Cork city, Ireland. It also includes in its catchment area Gurranabraher, Churchfield and Knocknaheeny. Teams are fielded in Gaelic football, hurling and camogie. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions and in Seandún board competitions. The greatest achievements in the club's history was winning the 1968 Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship and the 2006 & 2012 Premier Intermediate Football Championship. As a result, they were promoted to senior status after both Premier Intermediate Football Championship wins but were not able to maintain senior status. The club now plays in the Premier Intermediate Football Championship and Junior A Hurling Championship.

The 2005 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship—known as the Foras na Gaeilge All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship for sponsorship reasons—was the high point of the 2005 season in the sport of camogie. The championship was won for the 21st time by Cork who defeated Tipperary by a four-point margin in the final and became part of the legendary “rebel treble” of 2005 when Cork won the senior hurling, camogie and ladies’ football titles. The attendance was 14,350.

References

  1. 1 2 3 O'Connor, Gemma (30 October 2022). "'It's exhausting to live in fear, worrying that someone might figure you out ... every day'". Sunday Independent. I sleep soundly the night before our wedding, and she can't get a wink.
  2. Farrell, Sinead (2 April 2021). "'One of the all-time greats in Cork' — saluting the career of a nine-time All-Ireland winner". The42.ie . Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  3. 2009 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final programme.