A Westmeath GAA legend looks back
In 2001, RORY O'CONNELL became the first Westmeath footballer ever to win an All Star award. Here he speaks about his career, and about gaelic football today, with reporter ADRIAN CUSACK.
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Rory O’Connell’s career as a Westmeath footballer ended ten years ago. It’s a measure of how quickly things have changed at inter-county level that he’s not sure if he’d be suited to the game today.
“The demands on players seem to be getting worse and worse. I don’t know how they’re doing it,” says Rory.
“It’s now at a semi-professional level, if not touching professional level in the bigger counties that are competing for the All-Ireland.
“I wouldn’t like it, to be honest. I wouldn’t like that level of commitment, unless you are getting paid for it. Is it all for the jersey, all for the county? I don’t know.”
During a memorable career Rory captained Athlone to their last senior county title, in 1998. He became the first Westmeath footballer to be awarded an All Star in 2001. And in 2004, after his suspension for a red card was overturned in the High Court, he helped the Lake County achieve its greatest-ever success, the Leinster final win against Laois.
A Monksland resident, he is one of over 3,000 people working for Boston Scientific in Galway. He is married to Ingrid and the couple have two daughters, Emma and Saoirse, aged five and three.
Today Rory carries an unwanted souvenir from his playing days - a recurring back injury.
Just eight weeks ago he underwent more surgery after suffering a herniated disc while jogging in December. “I have to mind myself and be careful for the next few years,” he says.
The injury originated late in his playing career. He decided to retire after the 2005 campaign with Westmeath but then-manager Tomás O Flatharta convinced him to come back for one more year.
“I decided to go back and it’s probably the worst thing I ever did because I ended up hurting my back,” he says.
“We were training in Ballinagore and were doing sprints – on the line, blow the whistle, go. They blew the whistle, I went, and I felt something go in my back straight away.
“I ended up going for an MRI and being told I needed an operation. I had played one game in the league in 2006 and was injured in the training session a week or two afterwards. So it all ended, there and then.”
The journey started during his time in the Marist national and secondary schools in Athlone.
Originally from 'Old Clonbrusk’, just off the Ballymahon Road, Rory said people like Brother Thomas in the Marist and John Hickey at Athlone GAA club were a big influence on him as a young player.
He also played soccer and had a brief spell as a goalkeeper with Athlone Town. “I was 17 or 18 at the time and was getting paid £20 a week! I was mostly playing with the 'B’ team. I had a couple of small runs with the first team, but nothing major.”
Rory made his senior debut with Westmeath in the championship in 1994, coming on as a sub during a defeat to Louth on his home pitch of Páirc Chiaráin.
He remembers that, when he first joined the inter-county panel, some of the winter training sessions would be held under streetlights in the green area in front of the Carmelite in Moate.
“That shows how far Westmeath have come, but unfortunately they’re always playing catch-up with the big counties (in terms of training and facilities). I don’t know if it’s got to do with investment or money, but it seems they’re constantly trying to catch up. I don’t think they’ll ever catch up.”
Captaining Athlone to the senior county championship in 1998 was one of the high points of his career.
“In the final we beat Coralstown/Kinnegad in a high-scoring game. That was a big highlight, especially when you’ve grown up with the lads you were playing with.”
Then, of course, there was the 2001 championship odyssey. Westmeath were narrowly beaten by Meath in the Leinster championship and were then almost eliminated away to Wexford in the first year of the 'back door’ system.
“We were something like 10 points down after the first half in Wexford. Whatever happened at half time, something clicked, and we went out and played brilliantly in the second half. We ended up drawing the game and beating Wexford handily in the replay.”
Rory then delivered a truly outstanding performance in midfield as Westmeath famously defeated Mayo in Dr Hyde Park. Was it his greatest ever display?
“It was a good performance but personally I wouldn’t say it was my best,” he replies.
“I had a very good league campaign for Westmeath in 2002, with some big performances against the likes of Dublin and Galway. But if you look at when to play well, obviously you want to play well in the championship. So I suppose the game against Mayo does stand out.”
That display, and others during the summer of 2001, contributed to Rory’s All Star award.
“I was a bit surprised, but thrilled, to get it. To be the first footballer to win one in Westmeath was a huge honour. It’s something I’ll always have.”
In 2004, with Páidí O Sé in charge, Westmeath finally clinched the provincial title. Rory was sent off, and suspended for three months, for an alleged stamp on Offaly player Pascal Kelleghan in the championship opener.
“There were times I got sent off when I deserved to get sent off, but that time nothing had happened and I ended up with a three-month suspension, which I thought was the end of my season. It was heart-wrenching, to be honest.”
Kelleghan wrote a letter saying Rory had not stamped on him, and this helped set in motion appeals which ultimately ended up in the High Court.
“I thought it was very unfair, what had happened, so when I was asked if I was interested in going to the High Court I said yeah, definitely.
“Lucky enough, a handful of local businessmen in Athlone and Mullingar footed the cost, and I’ll always be indebted to those people for doing that.”
On the Thursday before the Leinster final, Rory got a phonecall telling him the High Court action had succeeded. “The exact words were, 'bring your boots on Sunday’. I was absolutely delighted.”
He came on as a sub in the Leinster final against Laois, which ended level. “I was delighted because I was hoping I would be starting the next day, and I was. Everything worked out in the replay on that Saturday. It was an unbelievable day.”
Rory still follows the sport, but at a distance.
“After I had been involved for so long, I just needed to get away from it. I don’t normally go to Westmeath games. I have other things to keep me busy; family and work, things like that.”
His eldest daughter has started to play with the Athlone under-6s. “That’s dragging me back, a bit, to the club. It goes full circle,” he says.
“I would like to get involved again. Last year Richie Daly, one of my best friends, asked me to come on board and give him a hand with the under-14s, so I did that.”
He says he can see himself taking charge of an underage team at the club in the future, but his involvement is unlikely to go much further than that.
“I’m not one of these ex-footballers who wants to take over teams and go into management. That doesn’t float my boat. Not at the moment, anyway,” he concludes.