[2] Connelly has written for other agencies and publications, including Time, United Press International and the Irish Independent.

After failing to qualify for a course in the National Institute for Higher Education, he moved to London to work on a construction site.

[5] Connelly has reported from conflicts in Rwanda, Angola, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Georgia and Gaza.

[11] That year he travelled via train around Eastern Europe for RTÉ, through Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

[14] In November 2024, Tony was awarded an honorary degree by University of Galway for services to journalism and European affairs.