Moss O'Connell


Maurice O'Connell was an Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler. At club level he played with Abbeydorney and was also a member of the Kerry senior teams as a dual player.

Career

O'Connell first played at club level with Abbeydorney. He won a Kerry MFC title with the St Brendan's divisional side in 1953 and later lost consecutive Kerry SFC finals with that team. He also lost a Kerry SHC final with Abbeydorney in 1954. O'Connell first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the Kerry senior hurling team that won the 1956–57 National Hurling League Division 2 title. He was later called up to the Kerry senior football team and came on as a substitute for Mick O'Connell in the 1959 All-Ireland SFC final defeat of Galway. O'Connell later lined out with the Lancashire team that lost the 1963 All-Ireland JFC final to Kerry.

Personal life and death

O'Connell entered the priesthood in the early 1950s, attending All Hallows College in Dublin. He moved to Greater Manchester in 1959 and spent six years at St Anne's Church in Crumpsall. O'Connell later spent 14 years at Salford Cathedral and a decade at St Teresa's in Stretford, before spending over 25 years at St Joseph's in Reddish. He died on 15 June 2022, aged 87.

Honours

;Abbeydorney
  • North Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship: 1954
  • Kerry Junior Hurling Championship: 1951
;St Brendan's District Board
  • Kerry Minor Football Championship: 1953
;Kerry