About Us

About Stevie O’Connor

Valley Veterinary was founded by Stephen (Stevie) O’Connor, an experienced veterinary surgeon and RCVS Advanced Veterinary Practitioner with a unique background spanning companion animal medicine, farm animal practice, equine reproduction, sports medicine and elite Thoroughbred horseracing.

Originally from Valentia Island, Co. Kerry, Stevie spent many summers in Bandon with his grandparents and developed a strong connection with the area from an early age. Stevie has returned to West Cork with his wife Marie and their young family to establish Valley Veterinary — an independent call responsive veterinary service based in Innishannon. Through a modern ambulatory model, Valley Veterinary provides professional veterinary care directly to homes, stables and farms throughout the Bandon River Valley and surrounding West Cork area. He graduated from University College Dublin in 2011 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (MVB), having previously completed a Bachelor of Animal Science and a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Science.

Following qualification, Stevie built extensive experience in mixed animal practice across Cork, including working alongside the hugely respected Bandon veterinary surgeon Joe McLaughlin MRCVS as well as with Riverview Veterinary Group earlier in his career. He further developed his companion animal experience at Sunbeam Veterinary Hospital in Cork City, and his equine expertise at Clinic na gCapall in Carlow, under the guidance of the well respected Jeremiah O’Sullivan MVB MRCVS.

His veterinary career has also taken him around the world — working with Thoroughbred racehorses in Doha, Qatar; as a resident reproductive veterinarian in Queensland, Australia; and most recently spending seven years with the Hong Kong Jockey Club as a Senior Racing Veterinary Surgeon and Equine Performance Analyst at Sha Tin and Happy Valley Racecourses.

Committed to lifelong learning and evidence-based medicine, Stevie recently completed the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP) through the University of Liverpool. He also holds postgraduate qualifications in both Equine Sports Medicine and Canine Sports Medicine.

Stevie has a particular interest in equine performance and sports medicine. His work involving wearable biometric technologies and ECG monitoring of Thoroughbred racehorses during training and swimming exercise has contributed to a number of peer-reviewed scientific publications in the field of equine sports medicine (which can be reviewed under the knowledge base section of the website).