In a wide ranging interview former Clare and St Joseph's Doora-Barefield star Jamesie O'Connor discusses:
- Early years spent in Galway
- First memories hurling with Clare
- The atmosphere at the 1997 Munster Senior Hurling Championship Final
- Key figures who influenced his career
- The joy and satisfaction of winning a second All Ireland medal
By Cian O'Connell
Ultimately Jamesie O'Connor ended up being regarded as an artist providing the class in Clare's greatest ever hurling era.
It could have been so different, though, because O'Connor's earliest memories were about Galway, where he lived as a boy.
In the garden the O'Connor clan - Jamesie, Christy, and John wanted to emulate the Connolly brothers.
"They got to a final in '79, I think Kilkenny beat them, and they were back in the final in 1980," O'Connor says during an interview for the Bord Gais Energy GAA Musuem Legends Virtual Tours.
"Obviously it was massive, they won, beat Limerick. Joe McDonagh sang the West's Awake and Joe Connolly made that famous speech, as Gaeilge. There were three Connolly brothers - John, Michael, and Joe playing. I had two brothers, Christy and John.
"We were out on the lawn hurling afterwards - the three Connollys, I think we got new helmets or helmets shortly beforehand. Those are my earliest memories, dad bringing us to club matches in Galway. I can remember seeing Conor Hayes in Ballinasloe, he was a big strong man on that Galway team."
Jamesie O'Connor in action during the 1997 Munster SHC Final against Tipperary.
When O'Connor was 10, though, in 1982 the family moved to Clare and suddenly hurling became about the Banner.
Galway did occupy a role in his sporting life again at NUIG when O'Connor connected with the thoughtful and innovative Eamonn O'Shea.
Other significant influences in O'Connor's career included Fr Seamus Gardiner and the totemic Ger Loughnane.
O'Shea's craft and ability to engage O'Connor's mind was critical. "One of the luckiest things that happened in my career was that I was captain of the Fitzgibbon team in my third year at UCG, or NUIG, as it is now.
"We needed a coach and I had heard about this guy lecturing in economics, a guy called Eamonn O'Shea, who I didn't know from Adam.
"He had played minor, Under 21, and senior with Tipperary, he won an All Ireland club title with Kilruane MacDonaghs.
"Obviously Eamonn O'Shea is a household name now given the success he's had with Liam Sheedy and managing Tipp in his own right.
Jamesie O'Connor speaking at a Bord Gais Energy Legends Tour at Croke Park in 2013.
"Eamonn was an unbelievable influence, he was one of the first people that just related to me as a forward in terms of he had played as a forward. He was a really cerebral player and a cerebral thinker on the game.
"He had a massive influence on me in terms of my movement and the way I played the game. Also as a mentor. Long after I had left NUIG if I was struggling with my game or if I was short on confidence I'd make a phonecall to Eamonn to arrange a meeting.
"I'd take a spin up and invariably I'd come away from that meeting feeling better about myself or with my problem solved. He was a great friend and a massive influence on me. I'm thankful we crossed paths, he had a big influence on me and the way I played as a forward."
Born in Galway, O'Connor subsequently emerged as a dashing and dynamic figure for the Banner. The stint in NUIG and the subsequent trips Corribside to meet O'Shea proved beneficial.
When O'Connor stopped hurling with St Joseph's Doora-Barefield and Clare the honours list was lengthy. Two All Ireland victories, three Munster Championships, four All Stars and a Hurler of the Year award were gleaned with Clare.
The maroon and white outfit that got O'Connor - St Joseph's Doora-Barefield accumulated a bountiful haul too. Three Clare County Championships, two Munster Club crowns, and one All Ireland club triumph supplied medals. Memories were made too during a rich and rewarding journey.
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