 On 21 October, he won an All-Ireland from left wing-forward medal following Cork's 3–11 to 0–13 defeat of Galway in the final.Cork dominated the championship again in 1998, with O'Connell winning a third successive Munster Championship medal on 23 August following a 3–18 to 1–10 defeat of Tipperary in the final.He won a second successive All-Ireland medal on 20 September after scoring seven points from left wing-forward in Cork's 2–15 to 2–10 defeat of Galway in the final.