Gardai at the scene of the fatal collision in St Johnston. (North West Newspix)
Search
25 Feb 2026
Search
25 Feb 2026
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Kobe McDonald shone as Mayo and Monaghan clashed in Round Four of the National Football League Division One in Saint Tiernach's Park, Clones. Pics: Sportsfile
CILLIAN O'CONNOR
The Ballintubber livewire has had quite the career in his county colours. His status as the top scorer of all time in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship speaks for itself, with a whopping 34-367 to his name to date.
Seven Connacht crowns, two National Leagues, two Young Player of the Year awards and a pair of All-Stars isn't bad going by any metric, but we have to go back to a rain-sodden MacHale Park on January 15, 2011.
That day, a fresh-faced O'Connor was handed a first appearance by then-boss James Horan.
It's safe to say he made an immediate impact against GMIT in the FBD League. The students had a solid side by anyone's standards, including the likes of Donegal All-Ireland champion Anthony Thompson.
However, O'Connor offered a glimpse of what Mayo fans were due to see for the decades to come.
The minor captain only one year prior notched 1-6 of his side's 2-8 tally, including a pearler of a score in Act Two to make it an impressive maiden showing.
It's safe to say the fleet-footed prospect followed up on that early promise in his breakout campaign, being named as the Young Player of the Year at the All-Stars in a season where Mayo won a Connacht title.
O'Connor is still part of the Mayo inter-county team, which is now under the tutelage of his team-mate from that floodlight Castlebar Saturday night, Andy Moran.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
