Cashel cousins united in scoring feats
By Noel Dundon
Oisín O’Donoghue has become something of a sorcerer off the bench for Tipperary during this year’s senior hurling championship — a super-sub with a golden touch.
But down at the other end of the field, his Cashel King Cormacs clubmate and first cousin, Eoghan Connolly, has proven just as devastating, weaving his own magic by splitting the posts at the most opportune moments.
The towering figure of Connolly — a colossus at full back — produced a spellbinding performance in the All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny on the wing, thundering forward to notch three of Tipperary’s eleven first-half points, all from play.
That brought his championship tally to an astonishing nineteen points — a remarkable feat for a man wearing the traditionally unglamorous number three jersey, more accustomed to repelling attackers than launching attacks.
Not to be outdone, Oisín has lit up Croke Park in his own way, with his predator’s instinct and deadly efficiency in front of goal. He now boasts a tally of 3-2, including the breathtaking strike that helped sink the Cats beneath the Dublin sky a fortnight ago.
His appearances have been mere cameos, his game-time barely adding up to an hour across the campaign — and yet, he makes every second count.
The nineteen-year-old poacher, already a Dr Harty Cup winner with Cashel Community School in 2023, added Munster and All-Ireland Under 20 medals to his growing collection earlier this year. Like his teammates Darragh McCarthy and Sam O’Farrell, he now dreams of another All-Ireland medal, and another triumphant Sunday in Croke Park.
There’s something in the blood of these Cashel cousins. Eoghan & Oisín’s mothers (Teresa & Catherine) are Butler sisters, hailing from the hurling heartland of Holycross, while Ross & Conn Bonnar — also first cousins — carry the same lineage.
The Bonnar boys are central figures on the Cashel senior team, and together with Connolly and O’Donoghue they led Cashel King Cormacs back to the Dan Breen championship this year, lifting the Séamus Ó Riain Cup in a memorable battle with Carrick Swans on county final day in 2024.
Now, with Croke Park awaiting, the Cashel cousins will likely once again take their places at opposite ends of the field, hoping to write another glorious chapter in their family and club’s proud history. Their dream? To walk in the illustrious footsteps of their famous kin — the legendary Bonnar brothers, Cormac, Colm, & Conal — who together brought All-Ireland glory to Tipperary in 1989 and 1991.
The Bonnars hurled with Oisin’s father Seanie, and Eoghan’s father TJ in the famous Cashel team which won senior county and Munster club championships back in 1991, but now the famed West Tipp names belong to the new generation.
On Sunday, the stage is theirs. And if destiny is kind, their names too will echo in the annals of Tipperary hurling, as cousins, comrades, and champions.