‘It was a rollercoaster couple of years’ – O’Connor on his minor and schools success

NO matter what he goes on to achieve in professional sport with the Geelong Cats in Australia, Mark O’Connor will never forget September 21, 2014 and September 20, 2015. After a 20-year famine, the then-Dingle teenager was midfield on the Kerry minor sides that put successive All-Ireland titles together under the management of Jack O’Connor.

Donegal were beaten in 2014 (0-17 to 1-10) on the day that Kerry did the double over the Ulster side, while it was Munster rivals, Tipperary, who were on the receiving end of a serious drubbing (4-14 to 0-6) one year later.

O’Connor was captain and man-of-the-match for the second of those triumphs, and the memories of those unforgettable occasions will never leave him.

“Aw yeah, they were huge days, of course intertwined with the schools success with Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne,” he said.

“It was a rollercoaster of a couple of years. Getting those wins with your best friends is something very special. They will be cherished forever. It’s always special to put on the green and gold jersey.”

Does 2014 mean even more because there were three Dingle teammates in the side with you – Barry O’Sullivan, Tom O’Sullivan and Matthew Flaherty?

“It absolutely does, and in the few years as well, there were a couple of other Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne players involved too. We were very close because of the school team, the Dingle v An Ghaeltacht rivalry, it made it all more special. The celebrations were more special too.

“It was unreal really. Playing together growing up, that was the highest of the highs. We were on top of the world. It’s the best thing in the world when you’re winning together at that stage of your life.”

Those minor-winning outfits included current Kerry seniors Shane Ryan, Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Tom O’Sullivan, Micheál Burns, Killian Spillane, Liam Kearney, Jason Foley, Gavin White, Seán O’Shea, among others.

O’Connor would certainly have graduated among them. He might have been the pick of the bunch. Instead, he is following a different path. For now at least anyway.

So, how did he feel last year when Kerry eventually lost out to Dublin in the replay of the All-Ireland Final?

“I was just really disappointed. Some of my best friends were playing. Especially the draw the first day, with a couple of minutes to go, I was sure that Kerry would take it.

“There is always that pull. It’s great to put on that green and gold jersey. Winning with Kerry is on a different level.

“I don’t know would I have made a difference. They weren’t my initial thoughts afterwards. It was simply the feelings of huge disappointment. I was a Kerry fan for those games. Dublin winning the five-in-a-row just hurt that little bit extra as well.”

O’Connor’s new contract with the Cats will take him up to 2022 in Geelong. He will be 25 years of age. Another deal could be put on the table then. Does he still want to wear those Kerry colours again?

“Yeah, definitely at some stage. But I don’t know when that will be. It’s very hard to leave here now at the minute. I have unfinished business with Geelong. There are things that I want to achieve here first, then I will come back.

“It is always in my head to return, the gra for Kerry is still there. At some point in time, I do see it happening. If they still want me!,” he added.

Meanwhile, while Covid-19 has caused an unimaginable amount of physical illnesses and deaths all around the world, the Dingle native is adamant that everybody must look after their mental health at this worrying and anxious and scary time.

On March 25, just two weeks into the general lockdown, O’Connor tweeted this extremely poignant message: “Worried for everyone’s mental health at the minute. The isolation may become lonely and provoke negative emotions. Hoping everyone can limit fear from taking over. Let’s reach out to our loved ones! Support each other through this and come out better on the other side!”

When asked about the tweet, the 23-year-old reiterated the message that he wants to get across.

“Everybody has their struggles. In a time like this, words like ‘isolation’ and ‘quarantine’ are very daunting for people. Mental health issues have probably been overshadowed by other issues during this pandemic. But it’s very important to raise the point of how important this is. We need to raise more awareness and support families.

“The GAA players, for instance, have been using their profiles to raise much-needed funds for Pieta House. That’s really inspiring, it’s huge, the whole GAA community coming together, and players using their profiles to do a lot of good work.”

O’Connor’s father and mother, John Diony and Mary, and his two older brothers, John and David, are all at home in Dingle. David was on work experience in Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne, while John is a nutritionist, who has just set up a new page on Instagram called ‘Target Nutrition.’

What message does Mark have for them, and for the Gaelic footballers of Ireland?

“Just the usual things really. Stick to the guidelines wherever possible. For the players, there are still ways now to improve your games – running, work-outs, ball skills. We just have to be good citizens first before being good footballers.”

Mark O’Connor. An inspiration. On and off the field.