The emergence of Aidan O'Connor: A consummate pro beyond his years
O’Connor isn’t just taking frees over from Aaron Gillane, he’s inheriting many of the longer-range attempts from Diarmaid Byrnes. That’s two Hurlers of the Year whose boots he’s stepping into.
THERE ARE A couple of qualities about Aidan O’Connor’s game that are best experienced up close.
First of all, the purity of his ball-striking. As a player who takes around 100 frees every night at training, that connection between ash and leather always draws admiring comments from onlookers.
Then, there are his leadership qualities. When Kevin Lally was approached to become Ballybrown manager, it was the young inter-county duo of O’Connor and Colin Coughlan that made contact. So when the former Galway senior coach was selecting his captain, O’Connor was a fitting choice.
“Firstly, he was one of the guys that reached out to me to ask would I do the job, and secondly, when I got there to work with him, he’s a very impressive character,” says Lally.
“I wasn’t long in the job, trying to get to know everybody, and he was my link between management and players. I found him brilliant to deal with.
“He has massive leadership traits. He’s only 23. He’s a very mature player. A very bright player as well, in terms of what he’s studying in college and everything. He’s a good guy and he has huge leadership potential.
“It’s brilliant to see him this year. It’s one thing getting a chance, but it’s another thing taking it. He’s taken it with both hands.”
*****
O’Connor is one of three players to have started all six league games for Limerick, alongside Nickie Quaid and Adam English. He played every minute for four of those. In four games, he hit double-digit returns.
His scoring haul of 1-55 makes him the league’s top scorer. With 0-19 from play, he also ranks in the top-five highest scorers from open play. Of those, he’s the only one without a goal from play. Operating further out the field, many of his white flags come from long distances and pockets of space by the sidelines.
O’Connor isn’t just taking frees over from Aaron Gillane, he’s inheriting many of the longer-range attempts from Diarmaid Byrnes. That’s two Hurlers of the Year whose boots he’s stepping into.
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Initially, John Kiely indicated that Gillane would resume those duties once he had burned off any rustiness from a long layoff. A couple of rounds later, his opinion had shifted.
“In sport, it takes a long time to build confidence,” Kiely said.
“He’s worked so hard over the last number of years to put himself into the frame to get on the pitch. Now that he’s taken this opportunity, when we gave him the frees a number of weeks ago, you couldn’t budge him off them.
“His accuracy has been unerring and he’s just in a very comfortable place. His confidence is high.
Aidan O'Connor pointing a free against Cork. James Lawlor / INPHO
James Lawlor / INPHO / INPHO
“He’s got to keep driving it on. He knows there’s a man behind him waiting to pick them up if he drops them for a couple of seconds, so that’s a great piece for us to have.”
Lally highlights the fact that O’Connor has been top scorer in the Limerick SHC for the past two seasons as a marker of his consistently high performance levels.
“To be the leading scorer, his efficiency from both play and frees is off the charts.
“It takes a good player to be the leading scorer in the Limerick club championship, because the top six teams are playing against each other, which is unusual compared to other counties. So it’s ultra-competitive.
“He’s a consummate pro in terms of his free-taking. It’s probably a quote you’ll reference a lot with free-takers, because he’s the first one on the field and he’s the last one to leave.
“He’s constantly hitting frees. There’s not a night at club training where he’s not hitting 100 frees.
“He’s very diligent in his craft, in terms of his style and his technique. He’s a beautiful striker of the ball. Anybody you’re talking to that hasn’t worked with him, it’s the one comment, how well he actually strikes the ball.”
*****
From his early years at Ballybrown NS, O’Connor was catching the eye. Former school principal and Cumann na mBunscol national chairperson, Joe Lyons, relayed one such story to GAA.ie.
“I can remember organising a match when Aidan was about in second class… against Lisnagry National School,” said Lyons.
“They were a togging out and Barry Lordan (a teacher at the school) called me over and he said, ‘Mr Lyons, have a look at this boy’s hands’. Aidan put out his hand and he just had big, strong hands and Barry said, ‘That boy is going to be a great hurler’.
“He was always very strong, extremely fast, extremely athletic. He has it all.”
Before the Coughlan-O’Connor generation, Ballybrown hadn’t won a county premier minor hurling title for 31 years. Between 2019 and ‘21, they won three in a row with O’Connor captaining them to the latter crown. He was, once again, top scorer in 2022 as they added a Premier U21 title.
In 2019, he played alongside Coughlan, Cathal O’Neill, and Adam English as Limerick won Munster minor hurling silverware. They added the U20 trophy three years later. Despite 0-10 (7 frees) from O’Connor in the All-Ireland final, they were narrowly denied by Kilkenny. The rules at the time decreed that O’Neill’s senior involvement deemed him ineligible for the underage grade.
Aidan O'Connor catches the sliotar during the 2022 All-Ireland U20 final. Evan Treacy / INPHO
Evan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Their Ballybrown scorer-in-chief was named the Munster U20 Hurler of the Year at the end of that campaign.
O’Connor matched the achievement of his father, Joe, by winning that provincial medal. Last year, he became the first man from his club to start a Munster SHC final for 31 years, since his dad fielded in the 1994 decider.
That famous game against Cork last summer, which went all the way to penalties, was O’Connor’s first championship start, one he marked with a goal.
Later that autumn, Ballybrown scored championship wins over Patrickswell, their parish rivals, and Kilmallock for the first time since their last county title in 1991.
O’Connor isn’t only a presence at the club during the off-season, either.
“When he’s not with Limerick, he’s always in the club, helping out,” says Lally. “He’s involved with underage teams. He’s just a really good club person.”
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*****
O’Connor has also been prolific with UL, completing back-to-back Fitzgibbon Cup titles in February. Last week, he was named on the Fitzgibbon team of the year.
His coach with the university, Shane McGrath, has hailed the emergence of O’Connor, English, O’Neill, and Shane O’Brien as a “changing of the guard”.
Aidan O'Connor in action during the 2025 Munster final. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
“He’s been exceptional, probably player of the league so far,” McGrath told RTÉ last month. “He just needed a chance. I have seen him up close as a coach with his club, Ballybrown, and with UL. I’ve seen what he can do. He’s unbelievable.”
Speaking last week, Limerick captain Cian Lynch said: “Aido’s been brilliant. He’s had an unbelievable league campaign, and it just shows the type of person he is. He’s pushing himself and trying to keep making himself better and improving.”
Lally adds: “He’s 23 years of age now, so he’s the perfect age to kick on, isn’t he?
“It certainly looks like the baton is being passed on to a couple of those players. They’re obviously going to be leading lights for Limerick for years to come.”
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The emergence of Aidan O'Connor: A consummate pro beyond his years
THERE ARE A couple of qualities about Aidan O’Connor’s game that are best experienced up close.
First of all, the purity of his ball-striking. As a player who takes around 100 frees every night at training, that connection between ash and leather always draws admiring comments from onlookers.
Then, there are his leadership qualities. When Kevin Lally was approached to become Ballybrown manager, it was the young inter-county duo of O’Connor and Colin Coughlan that made contact. So when the former Galway senior coach was selecting his captain, O’Connor was a fitting choice.
“Firstly, he was one of the guys that reached out to me to ask would I do the job, and secondly, when I got there to work with him, he’s a very impressive character,” says Lally.
“I wasn’t long in the job, trying to get to know everybody, and he was my link between management and players. I found him brilliant to deal with.
“He has massive leadership traits. He’s only 23. He’s a very mature player. A very bright player as well, in terms of what he’s studying in college and everything. He’s a good guy and he has huge leadership potential.
“It’s brilliant to see him this year. It’s one thing getting a chance, but it’s another thing taking it. He’s taken it with both hands.”
*****
O’Connor is one of three players to have started all six league games for Limerick, alongside Nickie Quaid and Adam English. He played every minute for four of those. In four games, he hit double-digit returns.
His scoring haul of 1-55 makes him the league’s top scorer. With 0-19 from play, he also ranks in the top-five highest scorers from open play. Of those, he’s the only one without a goal from play. Operating further out the field, many of his white flags come from long distances and pockets of space by the sidelines.
O’Connor isn’t just taking frees over from Aaron Gillane, he’s inheriting many of the longer-range attempts from Diarmaid Byrnes. That’s two Hurlers of the Year whose boots he’s stepping into.
Initially, John Kiely indicated that Gillane would resume those duties once he had burned off any rustiness from a long layoff. A couple of rounds later, his opinion had shifted.
“In sport, it takes a long time to build confidence,” Kiely said.
“He’s worked so hard over the last number of years to put himself into the frame to get on the pitch. Now that he’s taken this opportunity, when we gave him the frees a number of weeks ago, you couldn’t budge him off them.
“His accuracy has been unerring and he’s just in a very comfortable place. His confidence is high.
“He’s got to keep driving it on. He knows there’s a man behind him waiting to pick them up if he drops them for a couple of seconds, so that’s a great piece for us to have.”
Lally highlights the fact that O’Connor has been top scorer in the Limerick SHC for the past two seasons as a marker of his consistently high performance levels.
“To be the leading scorer, his efficiency from both play and frees is off the charts.
“It takes a good player to be the leading scorer in the Limerick club championship, because the top six teams are playing against each other, which is unusual compared to other counties. So it’s ultra-competitive.
“He’s a consummate pro in terms of his free-taking. It’s probably a quote you’ll reference a lot with free-takers, because he’s the first one on the field and he’s the last one to leave.
“He’s very diligent in his craft, in terms of his style and his technique. He’s a beautiful striker of the ball. Anybody you’re talking to that hasn’t worked with him, it’s the one comment, how well he actually strikes the ball.”
*****
From his early years at Ballybrown NS, O’Connor was catching the eye. Former school principal and Cumann na mBunscol national chairperson, Joe Lyons, relayed one such story to GAA.ie.
“I can remember organising a match when Aidan was about in second class… against Lisnagry National School,” said Lyons.
“They were a togging out and Barry Lordan (a teacher at the school) called me over and he said, ‘Mr Lyons, have a look at this boy’s hands’. Aidan put out his hand and he just had big, strong hands and Barry said, ‘That boy is going to be a great hurler’.
“He was always very strong, extremely fast, extremely athletic. He has it all.”
Before the Coughlan-O’Connor generation, Ballybrown hadn’t won a county premier minor hurling title for 31 years. Between 2019 and ‘21, they won three in a row with O’Connor captaining them to the latter crown. He was, once again, top scorer in 2022 as they added a Premier U21 title.
In 2019, he played alongside Coughlan, Cathal O’Neill, and Adam English as Limerick won Munster minor hurling silverware. They added the U20 trophy three years later. Despite 0-10 (7 frees) from O’Connor in the All-Ireland final, they were narrowly denied by Kilkenny. The rules at the time decreed that O’Neill’s senior involvement deemed him ineligible for the underage grade.
Their Ballybrown scorer-in-chief was named the Munster U20 Hurler of the Year at the end of that campaign.
O’Connor matched the achievement of his father, Joe, by winning that provincial medal. Last year, he became the first man from his club to start a Munster SHC final for 31 years, since his dad fielded in the 1994 decider.
That famous game against Cork last summer, which went all the way to penalties, was O’Connor’s first championship start, one he marked with a goal.
Later that autumn, Ballybrown scored championship wins over Patrickswell, their parish rivals, and Kilmallock for the first time since their last county title in 1991.
O’Connor isn’t only a presence at the club during the off-season, either.
“When he’s not with Limerick, he’s always in the club, helping out,” says Lally. “He’s involved with underage teams. He’s just a really good club person.”
*****
O’Connor has also been prolific with UL, completing back-to-back Fitzgibbon Cup titles in February. Last week, he was named on the Fitzgibbon team of the year.
His coach with the university, Shane McGrath, has hailed the emergence of O’Connor, English, O’Neill, and Shane O’Brien as a “changing of the guard”.
“He’s been exceptional, probably player of the league so far,” McGrath told RTÉ last month. “He just needed a chance. I have seen him up close as a coach with his club, Ballybrown, and with UL. I’ve seen what he can do. He’s unbelievable.”
Speaking last week, Limerick captain Cian Lynch said: “Aido’s been brilliant. He’s had an unbelievable league campaign, and it just shows the type of person he is. He’s pushing himself and trying to keep making himself better and improving.”
Lally adds: “He’s 23 years of age now, so he’s the perfect age to kick on, isn’t he?
“It certainly looks like the baton is being passed on to a couple of those players. They’re obviously going to be leading lights for Limerick for years to come.”
*****
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