Conor Browne Explained

Conor Browne
Irish:Conchur de Brún
Nickname:Worm
Occupation:Primary school teacher
Birth Date:1996 5, df=y
Birth Place:Kilkenny, Ireland
Feet:6
Inches:0
Sport:Hurling
Code:Hurling
County:Kilkenny
Province:Leinster
Club:James Stephens
Clyears:2014-present
Clcounty:0
Colleges:Cork Institute of Technology
University College Cork
Fitz:1
Colyears:2015-2016
2016-present
Counties:Kilkenny
Icyears:2018-present
Icposition:Midfield
Icapps(Points):9 (0-03)
Icprovince:2
Icallireland:0
Nhl:1
Allstars:0
Icupdate:22:53, 17 July 2021

Conor Browne (born 18 May 1996) is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club James Stephens and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a midfielder.

Playing career

St. Kieran's College

Browne first came to prominence as a hurler with St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny. He played in every grade of hurling before eventually joining the college's senior hurling team. On 9 March 2014, he was an unused substitute when local rival Kilkenny CBS defeated St. Kieran's College by 2-13 to 0-13 to win the Leinster Championship.[1] Browne was again listed as a substitute when the two sides faced each other again in the All-Ireland final on 5 April 2014. He was introduced as a substitute for Eoin Walsh at left wing-back and collected a winners' medal following the 2-16 to 0-13 defeat.[2]

Cork Institute of Technology

Browne spent a year studying at the Cork Institute of Technology and was included on the freshers' hurling team during that time. On 3 March 2016, he captained the team from midfield when CIT defeated Dublin City University by 1-13 to 0-13 to win the All-Ireland title.[3]

University College Cork

On 23 February 2019, Browne was joint-captain of the University College Cork that faced Mary Immaculate College in the Fitzgibbon Cup final. He scored 1-01 play in the 2-21 to 0-13 victory.[4]

James Stephens

Browne joined the James Stephens club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels before joining the club's top adult team. He made his first appearance on 12 October 2014 in a 1-20 to 0-18 defeat by Clara.

Kilkenny

Minor and under-21

Browne was selected for the Kilkenny minor team for the first time during the 2014 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance for the team on 21 June 2014 and scored 0-02 from midfield in a 1-21 to 0-16 defeat of Laois in the semi-final.[5] Browne was again at midfield for the Leinster final against Dublin on 6 July and collected a winners' medal following the 2-19 to 2-10 victory.[6] On 7 September, he won an All-Ireland medal from midfield following Kilkenny's 2-17 to 0-19 defeat of Limerick in the final.[7] It was his last game in the minor grade.

Browne was drafted onto the Kilkenny under-21 team for the 2016 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance on 25 May 2016 when he lined out at midfield in a 1-11 to 0-12 defeat by Westmeath.[8]

Browne failed to secure a place on the starting fifteen for the 2017 Leinster Championship but was retained as a member of the extended panel. On 5 July 2017, he won a Leinster Championship medal as a member of the extended panel following Kilkenny's 0-30 to 1-15 defeat of Wexford in the final.[9] On 9 September, Browne failed to be included on the 24-man panel for the 0-17 to 0-11 All-Ireland final defeat by Limerick..[10]

Senior

Browne joined the Kilkenny senior team prior to the start of the 2018 National League. He made his first appearance for the team on 25 February 2018 when he lined out at left wing-back in a 2-22 to 2-21 defeat of Tipperary.[11] Walsh remained as a member of the extended panel for the Leinster Championship. Browne made his first Leinster Championship appearance on 20 May 2018 when he came on as a 52nd-minute substitute for Lester Ryan at midfield in a 2-19 to 1-13 defeat of Offaly.[12]

On 30 June 2019, Browne was an unused substitute when Kilkenny suffered a 1-23 to 0-23 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster final.[13] On 18 August 2019, he was selected at midfield when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final, however, Browne ended the game on the losing side after a 3-25 to 0-20 defeat.[14]

Personal life

Browne's grandfather, Shem Downey, was an All-Ireland medal-winner with Kilkenny in 1947. His mother, Angela Downey-Browne, and his aunt, Ann Downey, won 12 All-Ireland medals each with the Kilkenny senior camogie team between 1974 and 1994.[15]

Career statistics

TeamYearNational LeagueLeinsterAll-IrelandTotal
DivisionAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScore
Kilkenny2018Division 1A20-0110-0000-0030-01
201940-0100-0030-0170-02
2020Division 1B20-0020-0210-0050-02
202140-0220-0000-0060-02
Total120-0450-0240-01210-07

Honours

St. Kieran's College

2014

Cork Institute of Technology
University College Cork

2019 (captain)

Kilkenny

2020, 2021

2018

2017

2014

2014

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Byrne the hero as CBS grab the glory. Irish Examiner. 10 March 2014. 14 February 2019. Eoghan. Cormican.
  2. Web site: 19th All-Ireland for St. Kieran's after win over Kilkenny CBS. The 42. 5 April 2014. 14 February 2019. Trevor. Spillane.
  3. Web site: O'Keeffe inspires CIT to All-Ireland freshers glory. 4 March 2016. Irish Examiner. 18 May 2019. Therese. O'Callaghan.
  4. Web site: Fitzgibbon Cup final: UCC in a different class. 23 February 2017. Hogan Stand. 23 February 2019.
  5. Web site: Leinster MHC semi-final: Murphy goal critical for Cats. 21 June 2014. Hogan Stand. 15 December 2018.
  6. Web site: Kilkenny power past Dublin to retain their Leinster minor crown. 6 July 2014. The 42. 15 December 2018. Niall. Kelly.
  7. Web site: Kilkenny minors savour All-Ireland success against spirited Limerick. Irish Times. 7 September 2014. 23 June 2015. Ian. O'Riordan.
  8. Web site: Warren Casserly's goal helps Westmeath shock Kilkenny. Irish Times. 25 May 2016. 13 May 2019.
  9. Web site: Kilkenny land 30 points en route to completing U21 and minor Leinster hurling double. 5 July 2017. The 42. 15 December 2018. Kevin. O'Brien.
  10. Web site: Limerick savour that September excitement in U21 hurling final. 11 September 2017. Irish Examiner. 31 July 2018. Eoghan. Cormican.
  11. Web site: Michael Breen bags 2-9 but finishes on losing side as Kilkenny edge Tipperary in thriller. 25 February 2018. The 42. 31 July 2018. John. Fallon.
  12. Web site: Blanchfield nets another crucial goal as Kilkenny pick up second win in Leinster. 20 May 2018. The 42. 31 July 2018. Paul. Keane.
  13. Web site: Wexford land first Leinster title in 15 years with thrilling victory over Kilkenny. The 42. 30 June 2019. 1 July 2019. Kevin. O'Brien.
  14. Web site: Tipperary are All-Ireland champions as Liam Sheedy's men see off 14-man Kilkenny in Croke Park. Irish Independent. 18 August 2019. 16 November 2019. Seán. McGoldrick.
  15. Web site: Major Kilkenny rebuild well ahead of schedule. 9 March 2018. Irish Independent. 12 May 2019. Colm. Keys.