Conor McDonald

Conor McDonald (born 22 September 1995) is an Irish hurler who plays for Wexford Senior Championship club Naomh Éanna and at inter-county level with the Wexford senior hurling team.[1] He usually lines out as a full-forward.

Conor McDonald
Personal information
Irish name Conchúr Mac Domhnall
Sport Hurling
Position Full-forward
Born (1995-09-22) 22 September 1995
Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Occupation Personal trainer
Club(s)
Years Club
2012–present
 Naomh Éanna
Club titles
Wexford titles 1
Colleges(s)
Years College
 University College Dublin
College titles
Fitzgibbon titles 0
Inter-county(ies)*
Years County Apps (scores)
2013–present
 Wexford 46 (19-116)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 1
All-Irelands 0
NHL 0
All Stars 0
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of match played 21 May 2023.

Playing career

Gorey Community School

McDonald first came to prominence as a hurler with Gorey Community School and Naomh Eanna GAA Club. He played in every grade of hurling before eventually joining the college's senior hurling team and lined out in several Leinster Championship campaigns.[2]

University College Dublin

As a student at University College Dublin, McDonald joined the senior hurling team during his second year. He lined out for the college in the Fitzgibbon Cup and Walsh Cup.[3]

Naomh Éanna

McDonald joined the Naomh Éanna club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. He enjoyed championship success in the under-12 grade, however, he subsequently went on to lose finals at under-14, under-16, minor and under-21 level.[4]

McDonald joined the club's top adult team as a 16-year-old during the 2012 Intermediate A Championship. On 6 October 2012, he was at full-forward when Naomh Éanna faced Marshalstown-Castledockrell in the championship final. McDonald collected a winners' medal after scoring a first-half goal in the 1-15 to 1-11 victory.[5]

On 17 October 2015, McDonald lined out at full-forward when Naomh Éanna faced Crossabeg-Ballymurn in the final of the Wexford Intermediate Championship. He scored 1-05 in the 1-15 to 2-11 victory.[6]

On 21 October 2018, McDonald lined out at full-forward when Naomh Éanna reached the final of the Wexford Senior Championship. He scored 2-01 from play and ended the game with a winners' medal following the 2-11 to 0-13 defeat of St. Martin's.[7]

Minor and under-21

McDonald first lined out for Wexford as a member of the minor team during the 2011 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance for the team as a 15-year-old on 23 April when he was introduced as an 11th-minute substitute and scored 1-01 in a 3-13 to 3-10 defeat of Offaly.[8]

McDonald was eligible for the minor grade again during the 2012 Leinster Championship. He lined out at full-forward in his first Leinster final on 8 July 2012. McDonald scored 0-05 in the 2-15 to 1-14 defeat by Dublin.[9]

For the third year in succession, McDonald was included on the Wexford minor team in 2013. He made his last appearance in the grade on 23 June when he top scored for the team with 0-05 in a 1-14 to 0-13 defeat by Laois.[10]

McDonald was in his final year with the Wexford minor team when he was drafted onto the under-21 team. He made his first appearance for the team on 11 July 2013 when he lined out at right corner-forward in the Leinster final. McDonald scored two points from play and collected a Leinster Championship medal following the 1-21 to 0-21 defeat of Kilkenny.[11]

On 9 July 2014, McDonald won a second successive Leinster Championship medal after scoring 1-03 from full-forward in a 1-20 to 0-18 defeat of Dublin in the final.[12] On 13 September 2014, he was again selected at full-forward for the All-Ireland final against Clare. McDonald scored a second-half goal but ended on the losing side following a 2-20 to 3-11 victory for Clare.[13] He ended the season by being named in the full-forward position on the Team of the Year.[14]

On 8 July 2015, McDonald won a third successive Leinster Championship after top scoring with 1-10 in the 4-17 to 1-09 defeat of Kilkenny in the final.[15] He retained his position at full-forward for the All-Ireland final against Limerick on 12 September 2015. McDonald top scored for Wexford with 1-04, however, he ended on the losing side following a 0-26 to 1-07 defeat.[16] He ended the season as the championship's top scorer with 3-38 while he was also included on the Team of the Year.[17]

McDonald was eligible for the under-21 team for a fourth and final season in 2016. He played his last game in the grade on 1 June when he scored 1-05 in a 2-12 to 1-08 defeat by Dublin at the quarter-final stage.[18]

Senior

McDonald was just 17-years-old and a member of the minor team when he was drafted onto the Wexford senior team during the All-Ireland Qualifiers. He made his first appearance for the team on 13 July 2013 when he scored a point after coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in a 3-24 to 1-20 defeat by Clare.[19]

On 2 July 2017, McDonald was selected at left wing-forward when Wexford qualified for their first Leinster final in nine years. He scored six points, including three frees, in the 0-29 to 1-17 defeat by Galway.[20] McDonald ended the season by receiving an All-Star nomination.[21]

On 20 January 2018, McDonald was named amongst the substitutes when Wexford faced Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup final. He was introduced as a 62nd-minute substitute for Harry Kehoe and scored two points in the 1-24 apiece draw. Wexford won the subsequent free-taking shoot-out, with McDonald claiming his first silverware at senior level with Wexford after scoring a point in the shoot-out.[22]

Wexford reached a second Leinster final in three years on 30 June 2019. McDonald was selected at left wing-forward but spent much of the game as part of a two-man full-forward line. He scored four points from play and collected a winners' medal following the 1-23 to 0-23 defeat of Kilkenny.[23]

Career statistics
As of 21 May 2023
Team Year National League Leinster All-Ireland Total
DivisionAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScore
Wexford 2013 Division 1B 00-0000-0010-0110-01
2014 40-0022-0443-06105-10
2015 42-0620-0310-0172-10
2016 54-1810-0630-2994-53
2017 73-4630-2010-01113-67
2018 Division 1A 72-0741-0322-04135-14
2019 62-0551-1412-01125-20
2020 Division 1B 52-0710-0010-0172-08
2021 41-0422-0610-0273-12
2022 Division 1A 50-0852-0821-03123-19
2023 4 2-07 4 3-04 8 5-11
Total 5118-1082911-67178-499736-225

Honours
Naomh Éanna
Wexford

References
  1. "Meet Wexford wonderkid Conor McDonald". GAA website. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. "McDonald turns from stopper to point-scorer". Gorey Gurdian. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  3. Verney, Michael (1 March 2015). "Conor McDonald breaks down Wexford's 'samba hurling' goal of the year". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  4. "The Wexford club who went from intermediate to their first ever senior final in just six years". Sports Joe. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  5. "It's glory for Gorey!". The Wexford People. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  6. "Senior hurling returns to Gorey town". The Wexford People. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  7. "Dunbar on song as Naomh éanna topple champs". Irish Independent. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  8. "Guiney guides Wexford home". Irish Independent. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  9. "Leinster MHC final: Dublin retain provincial crown". Hogan Stand. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  10. "Laois minors show their resolve". Laois Nationalist. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  11. "Wexford need extra time to overcome Cats in U-21 hurling final". Irish Examiner. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  12. O'Toole, Fintan (9 July 2014). "Superb McDonald goal helps Wexford claim Leinster U21 hurling title against Dublin". The 42. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. Cahill, Jackie (14 September 2014). "Kelly on fire as Clare young guns shoot down Wexford for a third title in a row". Irish Independent. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  14. O'Rourke, Steve (6 October 2014). "Seven Clare hurlers on the U21 team of the year". The 42. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  15. "Leinster U21 HC final: Magical Model maul Cats for three-in-a-row". Hogan Stand. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  16. Cormican, Eoghan (12 December 2015). "Limerick ease past Wexford to claim U21 hurling title". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  17. Hannon, Shane (23 September 2015). "The names are in - here are the Bord Gáis Energy Team of the Year nominees". The 42. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  18. "Dublin end Wexford's three-year reign as Leinster U-21 kingpins". Irish Times. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  19. Fogarty, John (15 July 2013). "Clare have more in the tank". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  20. O'Brien, Kevin (2 July 2017). "Conor Cooney masterclass leads Galway past Wexford to their first Leinster title since 2012". The 42. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  21. "PwC Hurling All-Stars nominations announced". GAA website. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  22. Aherne, Alan (27 January 2018). "Fanning hits winner in historic shoot-out". Gorey Guardian. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  23. O'Brien, Kevin (30 June 2019). "Wexford land first Leinster title in 15 years with thrilling victory over Kilkenny". The 42. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
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