 He won a minor championship medal in 1965, before later adding an under-21 championship medal to his collection two years later.In 1967 Connolly was a key member of the Castlegar senior team that reached the final of the county championship.A narrow 3–9 to 4–4 defeat of Padraig Pearse's/Oran-Maree gave him a Galway Senior Hurling Championship medal.