ALAN Connolly vaulted to another level of stardom on Saturday as he fired home a hat-trick in an All-Ireland semi-final.
He was far from the only Cork ace to be in clinical mood as they bagged SEVEN goals overall in a rout of Dublin.
The Blackrock clubman on a trip to Paris with girlfriend Alanna[/caption]
Which naturally included a visit to The Louvre[/caption]
In the mildly less sophisticated setting of Electric Picnic in Stradbally, Laois[/caption]
Celebrating after Cork ended Limerick’s reign as Munster champions last month[/caption]
Here, SunSport delves into the rising Rebel star’s life away from the hurling pitch:
GIRLFRIEND AND JOB
Connolly is only 23, although he will turn 24 on July 19 which just so happens to be the day before this year’s decider against Tipperary.
He’s still in college with him studying Business Information Systems at Munster Technological University in Cork.
In addition to that, Cork Beo state he works part-time as a bartender in his local pub in Blackrock.
He’s in a relationship with girlfriend Alanna with them routinely popping up on each other’s social media channels.
FAMOUS FAMILY
His family is steeped in Cork GAA as his uncles Tom and Jack Cashman collected six All-Ireland medals between them during their playing days which lasted from 1977-1990.
That’s not all though as his granddad Mick Cashman as well as granduncle Jimmy Brohan also lined out for the Rebels during the 1950s.
SENIOR BREAKTHROUGH
He’s been playing for the Cork seniors since 2021 having initially broken through at minor level in 2018 and Under-20 in 2020.
The pacy forward previously spoke to The Echo about how even if he does wind up lifting Liam MacCarthy later this month, he’ll still have a long way to go to become the most decorated hurler in the family.
He joked: “Even if I did win one, Tom and Jim would probably still laugh at me because of the amount of medals they have between them!
“It’s great. I feel very proud when I’m representing Cork and Blackrock and they’re hopefully proud of me as well.”
Connolly epitomises their goal-focused approach under manager Pat Ryan.
After their demolition of Dublin on Saturday, Ryan re-affirmed how it’s a constant principle he espouses.
He underlined: “We’re targeting goals all the time and we’re targeting fast starts all the time. That’s the goal and that’s the game. Our lads were really clinical today.
“I thought we left an awful lot of scores behind us for points but that’s me being a bit critical, maybe over-critical. They’re some things we’ll go after.
“But delighted with our fellas. For us to get back into a final shows the character and strength of commitment to the jersey that the lads have.”
