As was widely speculated, Ben O’Connor is to take over as Cork senior hurling manager after Pat Ryan declined to accept an extension of his term at the helm.
The Newtownshandrum man and his backroom team were ratified at a meeting of Cork G.A.A. on Tuesday evening for a three-year term. The manager will be joined in his backroom team by selectors, two times All-Ireland winner Ronan Curran, St. Finbarr’s, Terence McCarthy, Midleton, and William Biggane, Newtownshandrum, with coach Niall O’Halloran, Ballinhassig.
Curran, McCarthy and Biggane were part of the new Cork manager’s backroom team when he guided Cork to All-Ireland Under 20 success in 2023.
Ben O’Connor comes to the top job with a rich pedigree and vast experience as a player and as a mentor.
An All-Ireland Under 21 medal winner with Cork in 1998, O’Connor quickly transitioned to the county senior team and during a stellar career in red he won three All-Ireland and four Munster senior medals, and was twice named an All Star.
With Newtownshandrum, the mercurial O’Connor, with his twin brother, Jerry, were central to the club winning three county U21 medals in a row, a county intermediate medal, four county, three Munster and one All-Ireland Senior Clubs medals.
O’Connor seamlessly transitioned into coaching, guiding Charleville to a first ever county intermediate hurling title in 2018 before moving to Midleton and managing the club to county senior honours in 2021.
Cork soon came calling, and success followed for the North Cork man when he managed the Rebel County to Munster and All-Ireland Under 20 success in 2023.
Welcoming the appointment, Cork GAA chairperson Pat Horgan said: “We are delighted that someone of Ben O’Connor’s calibre is available to take up this hugely important position. We believe that Ben has all the credentials to build on the wonderful work done by the previous management team, and to lead this talented group of players forward. I wish him every success and I am sure our supporters will get fully behind Ben and his team.”
Cork GAA Secretary-CEO Kevin O’Donovan said: “Ben O’Connor’s achievements as a player and as a manager-coach, at both club and county level, set him apart as the outstanding candidate for the post of Cork senior hurling manager. Ben was one of the most talented players of his generation and is a born winner. The same high standards he set on the field have also been evident in the success he has achieved as an All-Ireland winning manager with our Under 20s. We look forward to supporting Ben and his management team in 2026 and beyond.”
Meanwhile, a second Newtownshandrum club-man, Donal Mulcahy has been handed the role of Cork minor hurling manager for a one-year term, taking over from Mallow’s Fergal McCormack.