Mourning Irish Basketball's First Superstar
Paudie O'Connor will always be considered one of the best Irish basketball players in history. His name is synonymous with St Vincents and Killarney basketball. He proudly represented his country for many years while playing on the Irish National Team in the 70's and 80's. He was the first Irish player to be named a European All Star and at one point in time was considered the best point guard in Europe. He was also a visionary with his dream for what Irish Basketball could be. He led it into Irish Basketball's Golden Era in the 1980's when he challenged the norm and started bringing American "high flying" hoopsters to Killarney.
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| THE O'CONNOR BROTHERS |
Tribute to Paudie O'Connor
Seamie O'Connor (Memories of his brother Paudie)
Basketball Ireland's Tribute to Paudie
I fell in love with Paudie O'Connor when I worked in Ireland in the summer of 1972. After I returned to the States in late August, Paudie visited me there in the summer of 1973 after attending Dean Smith's Carolina Basketball Camp. Our love affair lasted only a year, but that was best, as Paudie was on his way to basketball stardom and didn't need me as a distraction. I am writing a memoir about my adventurous summer in Ireland and about Paudie, who turned my world around. He changed my life for the better. You can read a blog post about it here: https://www.debtrotterwriter.com/blog/blog-post-title-four-27gg2
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