Connie "Sonny" Buckley (24 November 1915 – 27 January 2009) was an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Cork senior team.
[1] It was during Buckley's secondary education at the North Monastery where his talents at Gaelic games were first brought to the fore.
Together with his schoolmate Jack Lynch, Buckley was also chosen on the Munster colleges' inter-provincial hurling and football teams that year.
The following year Buckley captured a minor hurling championship medal with Glen Rovers, thus beginning a great era of success.
A 3–2 to 0–6 defeat of four-in-a-row hopefuls St. Finbarr's gave Buckley a Cork Senior Hurling Championship medal.
[4] Having been granted a walkover by the same opposition two years earlier, Glen Rovers faced Carrigtwohill in the county decider of 1937.
The success continued once again the following year as Glen Rovers faced Blackrock in their first championship decider meeting in almost a decade.
In one of the most high-scoring county finals of all-time, Buckley won his seventh championship medal following a 10–6 to 7–5 defeat of Sars.
In a game that set them apart from all other teams, the Glen continued their stranglehold of club hurling in Cork by claiming the victory following a 4–7 to 2–2 defeat of Ballincollig.
Nine-in-a-row proved beyond Glen Rovers and a defeat by Ballincollig in the championship semi-final brought the curtain down of Buckley's senior club career.
While a draw looked likely as the hour drew to a close Paddy Phelan sent a seventy-yard free in towards the Cork goalmouth.
Buckley captained the team in the final against Dublin, however, it turned into a one-sided affair thanks to contributing goals from Johnny Quirke and Ted O'Sullivan.
It was one of the most one-sided championship deciders of all-time, however, it did give Buckley an All-Ireland medal, as well as the honour of collecting the Liam MacCarthy Cup on behalf of Cork.