Kerry Football Families

The O'Connells of Valentia


by Matt Leen

The beautiful island of Valentia lies in the Gulf Stream of the South West Coast of Kerry, and it was here in January 1937 that Mick O'Connell was born - 'The Icon of Gaelic Football'. In a great football county like Kerry, with such a magnificent tradition of winning AII - Ireland titles in every decade, legends are created but they all seem to pale into insignificance when the name Mick O'Connell is mentioned.

Mick O'Connell's career with Kerry Seniors lasted from 1956 to 1972, in which he won every honor gracing the game with majestic fielding, long accurate kicking, amazing balance and complete dedication. In all he played in 9 AII Ireland finals winning in 1959, 1962, 1969 and 1970. In 1959 as a 22 year old, he brought the Sam Maguire Cup to Valentia for the first time when he captained Kerry to victory over Galway in the AlI Ireland final. One of the game's truly great players, and without doubt the finest fielder of a ball the game has known, Mick O'Connell was the first "superstar" of Gaelic football. He created a great impact especially with the youth, there was a 'magical aura' about him, he filled football stadiums all over Ireland and when Gaelic games were first televised live in the early 60's, people on every corner of Ireland got a glimpse of this magnificent athlete.

John Dowling who played alongside Mick at midfield rated his display against Dublin in the 1962 AII Ireland Senior final as the finest exhibition of Gaelic football by any individual ever in Croke Park. Reports of the league final of 1961 in which Kerry defeated Derry state: 'this has to be Mick O'Connell's finest hour, his display outshines anything that has come before or will come in the future on this hollowed sod such was the sheer class in every aspect of his game". In Con Keating Park Cahirciveen, Austin Stack's Park in Tralee and Fitzgerald's stadium Killarney, Micko treated young and old to fabulous exhibitions of Gaelic football whether playing for Young Islanders, South Kerry or Kerry. In a long and distinguished career the 'maestro' from Valentia won the following honors: 

  • 4 Senior AII Ireland medals
  • 6 National League Medals.
  • 1 Railway Cup Medal
  • 1 AIl Star Award
  • 1 Texaco Award
  • 1 Hall of Fame Award
  • 7 South Kerry Senior Football Championship medals
  • 3 Kerry Co. Senior Championship medals
  • Captain of the decade for the 50's Selected on Team of the Century. 
Mick O'Connell played 56 senior championship games for Kerry and for an outfield player is bettered only by the immortal Dick Fitzgerald.

John O'Connell, brother of Mick, was also an accomplished footballer in his youth, winning several South Kerry championships with Young Islanders of Valentia. He lined out at full back on the South Kerry team that won the Kerry Senior Co. Championship in 1958, defeating St. Brendan's in the final.

Fergal Mc Cormack of Mallow, Co. Cork, son of Mick and Noreen Mc Cormack, is a most accomplished dual player. His father Mick was an inter-county footballer with Tipperary and his mother Noreen is a sister of Mick and John O'Connell. On the hurling front, he has won Harty Cup and Fitzgibbon Cup medals, a Senior Co. Championship medal with Avondun, and with Cork Seniors, 1 AlI ireland Senior medal, 1 National league medal and 1 Oireachteas cup medal. In football, he has won a Cork U21 football championship medal with Mallow.



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