 In 1998, he played alongside Stephen O'Neill in the MacRory Cup semi-final for Omagh CBS.In November 2013, McConnell announced his retirement from inter-county football.On retiring he said "There is a big commitment required in order to stay performing at the top level and I feel the time is right to bow out and start a new chapter in my life, I have absolutely no regrets from my playing career with Tyrone although I suppose if I was a bit greedy I would say that I felt that we could have won the All Ireland in 2009 and 2010."