Tony O'Connell

Anthony O'Connell (born 12 February 1941) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Born in Tralee, he is the first and – as of 2026 – only man from County Kerry to have been capped by the Republic of Ireland at international level.

Early life Tony O’Connell was born in Tralee, County Kerry in February 1941 and lived in Caherslee until his family moved to Dublin when he was six.

Career

Shamrock Rovers O'Connell first came to prominence as a winger in 1959 with Shamrock Rovers when his balance and ball skills made the league sit up and take notice. He made his first team debut in a Dublin City Cup tie on 9 September 1959. He played against the likes of Valencia CF in Europe during his first spell at Rovers and won the FAI Cup in 1962.

There was interest from England in Tony but he snubbed them to move to America where he was nominated for an "All Star" during his spell at New York. He returned to Ireland and to Shamrock Rovers in time for the 1964–65 season and won his second FAI Cup winners medal as Rovers beat Limerick on 28 April 1965. He scored the first goal in the final the following year at Dalymount Park as Rovers once again beat Limerick to win the 1966 FAI Cup. He made a total of seven appearances in Europe for Rovers. He was sent off at Prater Stadium against Rapid Wien on 16 September 1964.

Dundalk O'Connell transferred to Dundalk during the summer of 1966 and he picked up yet more silverware as he helped Dundalk win the League of Ireland Shield and the 1966–67 League of Ireland title. However Dundalk lost to Rovers in the FAI Cup semi-final in 1967 and 1968. His form did not go unnoticed and he earned his first full international cap for Republic of Ireland against Spain in October 1966. In total, O'Connell made 37 appearances for Dundalk, scoring one goal.

Bohemians In March 1969, O'Connell took the revolutionary step of buying out his contract with Dundalk to sign for Bohemian F.C. However, within a year of this achievement, O'Connell had hung up his boots and retired from playing after 42 league appearances and 10 league goals for Bohemians.

Post-playing career After he retired from playing, O'Connell remained involved with football as a manager. Initially, he was in charge of the Irish Schoolboy team. He later managed Tolka Rovers, winning the FAI Junior Cup in 1988–89. O'Connell then left Rovers to take charge at Ashtown Villa, a club that two of his nephews were involved in running. Under O'Connell, Ashtown qualified for the 1991 FAI Cup. Despite playing in the amateur Athletic Union League, the club beat both Dundalk and Derry City away to make the quarterfinals of the competition. He was elected club president in 1993 and was part of the board that appointed Roddy Collins as manager in 1998. O'Connell would later sponsor a new stand in Dalymount Park, which opened in October 1999 as the "Jodi Stand", after he lobbied for grant aid to construct it.

He also had a spell as Manchester City's Irish scout. In 1993, he was elected club president by Bohemians' members. A further honour followed in November 2007 when O'Connell was inducted into the Bohemian F.C. Hall of Fame. Tony appeared at the Big Bohs Gig at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin alongside RTÉ's Joe Duffy and ex-boxer Bernard Dunne on 19 February 2011.

Honours Shamrock Rovers FAI Cup: 1962, 1965, 1966 League of Ireland: 1963–64 League of Ireland Shield: 1963–64 Leinster Senior Cup: 1963–64 Dublin City Cup: 1963–64

Dundalk League of Ireland: 1966–67 Dublin City Cup: 1967–68 League of Ireland Shield: 1966–67

Bohemians FAI Cup: 1970