Mary O’Connor is the CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport.

Heading up the representative body for over 100 National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships requires patience, determination and a good way with people which she has demonstrated since taking up the role at the end of 2017.

O’Connor was a leading light in support for the 20X20 campaign, the revival of the Volunteer in Sport and Sport Industry awards and the implementation of the National Sports Policy.

She sits on the Sports Leadership Group that is monitoring the implementation of the latter and which is expected to issue an update on that early in 2024.

She is a strong voice with Ministers and Department Officials continually pressing the case for Government investment in sport and physical activity.

She represented her native Cork with great distinction both in Camogie and Ladies’ Football winning a total of 12 All-Ireland medals over a 16-year dual inter-county career.

She was captain of the 2009 Cork Ladies Football team that completed five titles in a row. An All-Star in both codes she was Player of the Year in 2006.

She also sits on the Advisory Board of the Dublin City Council Sport and Wellbeing Partnership where we have worked alongside her and seen at close quarters what an intelligent and committed advocate she is for sport in all its forms.

See who else has been named on the list alongside Mary O’Connor by clicking on the image below.

 

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See who else has been included so far on the list for 2023

This is the 11th edition of our Sport for Business listing of 50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport.

Read more about the list and nominate who you think should be a part of it in 2023.

We are proud to publish the list in partnership with AIG, an organisation that has pledged its commitment to equality in its partnerships with Gaelic Games, Tennis, Golf, and more, for whom “Effort is Equal” and with whom we have ambitious plans to extend the reach of this annual celebration of the Women who are making a difference.

This year’s list will be drawn as before from the worlds of leadership, partnership, storytelling, and performance.

We began this journey in 2013 when challenged that we would never be able to produce a list of twenty Influential Women in Irish Sport. The 20 stretched to 30, then 40 and 50 and it still does not do justice to the talent that is out there.

This year once more, to keep things fresh we will step up again, raising the number of new entrants to at least 40 percent of fresh names from last year.

It will be the hardest part to have some names replaced but if it was too easy it would be of less value.

The list we will build over the coming weeks is a snapshot of those women who are making a mark on how sport is played, consumed, grown, and delivered.

They are part of making the role of women in sport unexceptional by being exceptional in what they do.