born in lucan, dublin, o'connor arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the cork minor team, before later joining the under-21 and junior sides. he made his senior debut in the 2008 championship. o'connor went on to play a key role on the team for five years, and won one all-ireland medal, three munster medals and three national football league medals. he was an all-ireland runner-up on one occasion.