Martin O'Connell (Gaelic footballer)

Martin O'Connell
Personal information
Irish name Máirtín Ó Conaill
Sport Gaelic football
Position Left wing-back
Born (1963-08-29) 29 August 1963 (age 61)
Carlanstown, County Meath
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Occupation Butcher
Club(s)
Years Club
1980s-2000s
St Michael's
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1984-1997
Meath
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 6
All-Irelands 3
NFL 3
All Stars 4

Martin O'Connell (born 29 August 1963 in Carlanstown, County Meath) is an Irish former sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club St Michael's and was a senior member of the Meath county team from 1984 until 1997.[1] O'Connell was listed on the "An Post/GAA Football Team of the Millennium".[2]

In a senior inter-county career that spanned two decades, O'Connell won every honour in the game at senior level. O'Connell claimed a Meath record of six Leinster and three National Football League titles.

O'Connell has also been the recipient of many awards off the field. He claimed four All Star awards as well as being named Texaco Footballer of the Year in his final playing season in 1996. Shortly after his inter-county career ended O'Connell was named in the left wing-back position on the GAA Football Team of the Millennium.

In May 2020, the Irish Independent named O'Connell as one of the "dozens of brilliant players" who narrowly missed selection for its "Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years".[3]

The All-Ireland medal he won in 1987 was stolen during a burglary in November 2020 but retrieved a short time later.[4]

  1. ^ "Meath GAA profile". hoganstand.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  2. ^ "The An Post-GAA Football Team of the Millennium". hoganstand.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2006.
  3. ^ Breheny, Martin (30 May 2020). "Revealed: The Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Martin O'Connell's stolen All-Ireland medal recovered by Gardai". Hogan Stand. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.