[2] O'Connell joined the Midleton club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels.
[5] On 25 April, O'Connell won a Munster Championship medal after scoring four points in the 3–13 to 1–12 defeat of Waterford in the final.
He was again at right wing-forward for Cork's 1–19 to 1-17 All-Ireland final defeat of Dublin at Croke Park on 6 August.
[7] On 23 July 2019, O'Connell scored a point from right wing-forward when Cork suffered a 3–15 to 2–17 defeat by Tipperary in the Munster final.
[8] He was selected at midfield when Cork faced Tipperary for a second time in the All-Ireland final on 24 August 2019 but spent much of the game at centre-forward.