Amy O Connor Cork Camogie
Hi Amy, It’s great to get the chance to speak with you.
Take me back to the start, how did you start playing camogie ?
It was pure chance really that I started playing camogie. My cousin had joined and his Mam bought him all the gear and he quit after a couple of weeks. So instead of the gear being thrown out, my aunt asked my mam would I give it a go and I did. And I’ve loved it ever since.
Having won 4 All Ireland’s to date, what else do you hope to achieve with Cork ?
I hope to be the best I can be and help bring Cork Camogie back to the top. It looks as though it might take us awhile to get there at the moment as we have had to bring in a lot of new faces and young players. But it is a challenge that we are looking forward to over the next few years.
Away from sport, what do you like to do ?
I like to go out for dinner, go to the cinema, and go for long spins, weekends away and holidays
What sort of improvements would you make to camogie to speed the game up ?
I think the new rule changes will help this. More flow to the games instead of a stop-start nature.
If the opportunity ever came up to play sport professionally, would you like to give it a go ?
It would all depend on a lot of factors. For me, i enjoy sport and if it became my job then i don’t think it would be as enjoyable for me to play. I enjoy having a job that has nothing at all to do with sport and having different things going on in my life.
Who are your biggest inspiration’s ?
My boyfriend, My family, the people in my club and some of the people I have been lucky enough to play with – Orla Cotter, Gemma O’Connor, Jenny O’Leary and Rena Buckley to name a few.
Does the fact your just finished in College, did it help to keep you focused over the last few years ?
It did, It allowed me to switch off from sport as it was something that I needed to give my full attention to. But then when I played sport – it was great to switch off from college and enjoy the freedom of playing and training.
What was it like for you to do college work and train as well ?
It was good – I feel that they complimented each other and I was never overly focused on one because I also had the other.
Having played International Football at underage level for Ireland, how did it feel to get your international cap ?
It was great, a very proud moment for myself and my family.
When did you chose to concentrate on camogie and was it a tough decision to make ?
I chose to concentrate on camogie before the All Ireland semi final in 2014. At the time I thought it was the hardest decsion in the world to make but looking back, it was an easy one because I always knew I would go down the camogie route as it was the one I enjoyed and loved most.
Lastly Amy, what are the plans for 2020 and beyond ?
To continue enjoying playing camogie and to have a happy and healthy 2020 with my family.
Thank you for taking the time out to chat to me Amy..