Matt Connor (born 9 July 1959 in Walsh Island, County Offaly) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for his local club Walsh Island and at senior level for the Offaly county team from 1978 until 1984, when he was seriously injured in a car crash.[1]

Matt Connor
Personal information
Irish name Maitiú Ó Conchubhair
Sport Gaelic football
Position Full-forward
Born 1960 (age 63–64)
Walsh Island, County Offaly
Occupation Garda Síochána
Club(s)
Years Club
1977–1984
Walsh Island
Club titles
Offaly titles 6
Leinster titles 2
All-Ireland Titles 0
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
1978–1984
Offaly 26 (13–142)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 3
All-Irelands 1
NFL 0
All Stars 3

Connor's display for Offaly in the 1980 All-Ireland Semi-Final against Kerry, scoring 2–09,[2] was his signature performance and is considered one of the best personal performances in the history of Gaelic football.[3][4]

He was interviewed for the documentary Players of the Faithful.[5]

In May 2020, the Irish Independent named Connor at number six in its "Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years".[6]

References

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  1. ^ "'It's just a matter of seconds and it changes your world'". Irish Independent. 31 December 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Offaly GAA profile". www.hoganstand.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  3. ^ "The 16 Best Ever Performances By A Player On A Losing Team". Balls.ie. 25 July 2022.
  4. ^ O'Brien, Kevin (3 June 2020). ""'One of the greatest privileges of my life was training with Matt Connor': 40 years ago this summer the Offaly legend gave one of the greatest individual displays ever witnessed in Croke Park"". The42.ie.
  5. ^ "Players of the Faithful".
  6. ^ Breheny, Martin (30 May 2020). "Revealed: The Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years". Irish Independent.
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