The O'Connors of St Martin's: A father and son story of a life lived through sport

Maurice Brosnan spends a day with a Wexford legend George and his son, Barry.

HONOURED: George O'Connor of the Wexford 1996 All-Ireland winning Jubilee team. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Few jewels adorn their palace. For a long time, George O’Connor rarely spoke about his greatest triumph. Locally there was more than enough to do all the talking for him. On the pillar hangs St Martin’s maroon and white. A tribute to the start and the end.

One trophy can be found in the hallway. In a wooden frame sits the front page of the Irish Times from September 2, 1996. O’Connor carried high after the crowning glory. All season long Wexford embraced hype they would once have recoiled from. It crested in a purple and gold wave. The summer turned golden. After seven Leinster finals logged and seven lost, their ultimate hard luck story became a hero’s tale.