| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Conchuir Ó Buachalla | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre-forward | ||
| Born | (1915-11-24)24 November 1915 Blackpool,Cork, Ireland | ||
| Died | 27 January 2009(2009-01-27) (aged 93) Blackpool, Cork, Ireland | ||
| Nickname | Sonny | ||
| Occupation | Ford Motor Co. employee | ||
| Club | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1934–1942 | Glen Rovers /St. Nicholas's | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Football | Hurling | ||
| Cork titles | 2 | 8 | |
| Inter-county | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1934–1941 | Cork | 16 (1–4) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 1 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 2 | ||
Connie "Sonny" Buckley (24 November 1915 – 27 January 2009) was an Irishhurler who played as a centre-forward for theCork senior team.
Buckley made his first appearance for the team during the1934 championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement after the1941 championship. During that time he won oneAll-Ireland medal, oneMunster medal and twoNational League medals. An All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion, Buckley captained the team to the All-Ireland title in 1941.
At club level Buckley was an eight-timecounty club championship medalist withGlen Rovers.
His brotherDin Joe won five All-Ireland medals and a third brother,Jack, was an All-Ireland medalist as a non-playing substitute in 1942.[1]
It was during Buckley's secondary education at theNorth Monastery where his talents atGaelic games were first brought to the fore. In 1934 Buckley was a key member of the college team that captured theHarty Cup title. When the North Mon retained the cup again in 1935, Buckley was captain of the team. That same year he captured aMunster medal with the college's senior football team. Together with his schoolmateJack Lynch, Buckley was also chosen on the Munster colleges' inter-provincial hurling and football teams that year.[2]
Buckley played his club hurling with the famousGlen Rovers and enjoyed much success during a golden age for the club.
As adual player in the minor grades he won a minor football championship medal with the Glen's sister team,St. Nick's, in 1932. The following year Buckley captured a minor hurling championship medal with Glen Rovers, thus beginning a great era of success.
By 1934 Buckley had joined the Glen Rovers senior hurling team and he played at midfield as the Glen lined out in only their second ever championship decider. A 3–2 to 0–6 defeat of four-in-a-row hopefulsSt. Finbarr's gave Buckley aCork Senior Hurling Championship medal.[3] He added a second championship medal to his collection the following year whenCarrigtwohill gave Glen Rovers a walkover in the championship decider.
The Glen continued to dominated Cork hurling once again in 1936. In spite of having two players sent off, Buckley won a third successive championship medal following a decisive 7–5 to 4–2 defeat ofSarsfield's.[4]
Having been granted a walkover by the same opposition two years earlier, Glen Rovers faced Carrigtwohill in the county decider of 1937. The dominance continued and a 3–5 to 1–0 score line gave Buckley a fourth championship medal.
In 1938 Glen Rovers set out to make history by bestingBlackrock's twenty-five-year-old championship record.Midleton stood in the way of a fifth successive championship title, however, a comprehensive 5–6 o 1–3 score line secured the victory and gave Buckley his fifth championship. He also collected his firstchampionship medal in football that year as St. Nick's defeatedClonakilty.
The success continued once again the following year as Glen Rovers faced Blackrock in their first championship decider meeting in almost a decade. A 5–4 to 2–5 win for the Glen gave Buckley a sixth successive championship medal.[5]
Sarsfield's stood in the way of Glen Rovers securing a seventh successive championship in 1940. In one of the most high-scoring county finals of all-time, Buckley won his seventh championship medal following a 10–6 to 7–5 defeat of Sars.[6]
In 1941 Glen Rovers reached an eighth successive decider. In a game that set them apart from all other teams, the Glen continued their stranglehold of club hurling in Cork by claiming the victory following a 4–7 to 2–2 defeat ofBallincollig. Buckley had the distinction of being the only player to have lined out in all eight victories. He also added a second football championship medal to his collection asMillstreet were accounted for in the county final.
Nine-in-a-row proved beyond Glen Rovers and a defeat by Ballincollig in the championship semi-final brought the curtain down of Buckley's senior club career.[7]
Buckley joined the Cork senior hurling team in 1934 and was an unused substitute for that year's championship. He made his debut in the 1934–35 National League and immediately became a regular member of the starting fifteen.
In 1939 Cork made a breakthrough in the provincial championship after nearly a decade in the doldrums. A narrow 4–3 to 3–4 defeat ofLimerick gave Cork the title and gave Buckley his onlyMunster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork againstKilkenny. In one of the most iconic championship deciders of all-time, played on the day thatWorld War II broke out, the climax of which was played in a ferocious thunder storm. While a draw looked likely as the hour drew to a closePaddy Phelan sent a seventy-yard free in towards the Cork goalmouth. The sliotar was gobbled up by the defence and cleared, but only as far asJimmy Kelly who sent it straight over the bar for a one-point lead. Immediately after the puck-out the referee blew the whistle and Cork were defeated on a score line of 2–7 to 3–3.[8]
Although defeated in the All-Ireland decider, Cork continued their breakthrough in 1940. An 8–9 to 6–4 defeat ofTipperary in the decider gave Buckley his firstNational Hurling League medal. He added a second winners' medal to his collection in 1941 following a defeat ofDublin.
An outbreak offoot and mouth disease severely hampered the 1941 championship. As a result of this Cork were nominated to represent the province in the All-Ireland series. Buckley captained the team in the final against Dublin, however, it turned into a one-sided affair thanks to contributing goals fromJohnny Quirke andTed O'Sullivan. At the full-time whistle Cork had won by 5–11 to 0–6. It was one of the most one-sided championship deciders of all-time, however, it did give Buckley anAll-Ireland medal, as well as the honour of collecting theLiam MacCarthy Cup on behalf of Cork.
Buckley's emigration in 1942 brought his inter-county hurling career to a premature end. He returned in 1943, however, a young Cork team were attempting to capture a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. There was no place for Buckley on this team.
Buckley also lined out withMunster in the inter-provincial hurling championship where he played alongside his championship rivals from other Munster hurling counties. He played in theRailway Cup final of 1941, however, Munster were defeated byLeinster on that occasion.[9]
Born in Roman Street on the north side of Cork city, Buckley was he fourth child in a family of eleven born to Timothy and Elizabeth Buckley. He received hisnational school education at the nearby St. Vincent's convent and later attended the North Monastery.
In 1942 Buckley was forced to emigrate to London where he found employment with theFord Motor Company inDagenham. He returned to Cork shortly afterwards. Buckley was married to Kitty Byrne and together they had seven children.[10]
Buckley died in Cork on 27 January 2009. At the time of his death he was the oldest surviving All-Ireland senior hurling captain.[11]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1941 | Succeeded by |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by | All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final winningcaptain 1941 | Succeeded by |