Clíodhna O’Connor

Clíodhna O’ Connor is a well regarded and established coach and commentator on the Irish sports scene. While beginning her academic studies with a BA in English and Music (University College Dublin) Clíodhna’s career has focused on the world of sports performance working across many disciplines over the past decade.

She is currently Head of Athlete Services and Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Irish Senior Women’s Hockey Team, working alongside the Irish Institute of Sport as they prepare the team for qualification for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris.

With a Masters in Strength and Conditioning (St Mary’s University, Twickenham) and a Masters in International Communications (Dublin City University), she is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Elite Performance in Sport (Dublin City University).

A former athlete herself, Clíodhna was a long-serving footballer and first choice goalkeeper with the Dublin Senior Ladies Gaelic Football team (LGFA/GAA) between 2002 - 2014. She was a member of the Dublin team that won the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship in 2010 and captain during the 2011 season. In 2004 and 2009 she was selected as an All Star and in 2010 was included in the LGFA/TG4 Team of the Decade. On retiring as a footballer in 2015, she shifted gears and took up rowing with Commercial Rowing Club, Dublin.

In her professional life, Clíodhna’s work is firmly focussed on supporting athletes/performers to manage the demands of a high performing environment while maintaining their own general health and wellbeing. In tandem with individual programme design, she examines the environments created by coaches and sports staff alongside the attributes and behaviours of the performers themselves, ensuring the effective collaboration of interdisciplinary teams to provide impactful support for each performer.