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Gay GAA- Will more players follow?

  • 18-10-2009 6:23pm
    #1
    youngblood
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,776 ✭✭✭


    All-Ireland medal winner(x3) and Cork hurling goalkeeper Donal Óg Cusack comes out in the Irish Mail on Sunday today.

    Donal has been out to friends and family and his club for years. Its been rumoured in GAA circles for a while and will not come as a suprise to many.

    Personally, I never thought I'd see the day that some high profile GAA player would come out,(Sure wouldnt ya know it'd have to be some Corkonian, ha ha), but isnt it about bloody time! Fair Play Donal!


    Do you think others will follow?


Comments

  • #2
    gavkm27
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 513 ✭✭✭gavkm27


    Yeah its great news,hopefully more sporting folk will come out,Nigel Owens - Welsh Rugby Referee came out a few year back,was great too,not many followed him in the rugby world.

    Fair play to Donal!!


  • #3
    youngblood
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,776 ✭✭✭youngblood


    Yea, its great news for the GAA and others in a similar situation.

    Yes, there was an openly gay Irish rugby player who came out in 1998. His name was Paul O Connor and he played for Munster and Leinster, with an article about his coming out in the Sunday Tribune in 2001.

    Hopefully more Gaa/Rugby players will follow in his brave footsteps.


  • #4
    sierraecho
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 40 ✭sierraecho


    Well done to him for doing it. There were rumors of this a few years back.


  • #5
    Aard
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


    I heard that it was one of the top stories on RTE, that some top GAA guy was saying that it's OK to be gay yada yada. I tried to find the article on RTE.ie, but to no avail - does anybody have a link to it?


    Also - good for him. Even though it comes out just before his autobiography, I still think he should be commended. The GAA, imo, epitomises a lot of what's wrong with this country, so maybe they'll soften up after this.


  • #6
    Aoifums
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,126 ✭✭✭Aoifums


    My dad said thats it has been common knowledge for years. Was this true or was he just joking with me?


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  • #7
    Boston
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,163 ✭✭✭✭Boston


    At least 3 years. Sure he's regularly seen around whatever town with his boyfriend, apparently.


  • #8
    L1011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 71,120 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Heard many stories of people seeing him in Instinct in Cork. Basically Cork GAA and Cork gay circles knew for years, the rest of the country didn't have much need/desire to know.


  • #9
    Benhonan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 143 ✭✭Benhonan


    youngblood wrote: »
    Hopefully more Gaa/Rugby players will follow in his brave footsteps.
    That would be great alright, but it's worth noting that it has been fairly common knowledge for years now that Donal Og is gay, the same can't be said for any other players as far as I'm aware.
    Aoifums wrote: »
    My dad said thats it has been common knowledge for years. Was this true or was he just joking with me?
    Yup, like I said.
    Aard wrote: »
    The GAA, imo, epitomises a lot of what's wrong with this country, so maybe they'll soften up after this.
    That's awfully harsh. Is this just in relation to homophobia or what? I have my gripes with the GAA too but on the whole I think if anything it epitomises what is good in the country, it's by far the biggest contributor to community involvement.


  • #10
    Filan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 703 ✭✭✭Filan


    It concerned me a little today when the former GAA national player welfare officer said that homosexuality hadn't been an issue within his organisation. Is this due to the fact that homosexual gaa players dont exist or that they didn't inform him?. He refused to say that we would back players coming out saying that it was a private matter. It was on Newstalk around lunch time.


  • #11
    Rick_
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,620 ✭✭✭Rick_


    Article in the Irish Sun yesterday about Donal Og saying that while his experience has mostly been fine with the public there were instances of him receiving homophobic chants and abuse from the crowd during GAA matches. Some were even shouted through a mega-phone in the crowd so everyone could hear.

    Disgraceful conduct really, I hope they clamp down on certain crowds actions in GAA grounds as much as other sports where hooligans are monitored, apprehended and banned from the grounds.


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  • #12
    wolfpawnat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,124 ✭✭✭wolfpawnat


    Well with so much of the population no longer being to forced to hide their sexual orientation it was only a matter of time before someone high profile on the GAA came out. As a Cork woman myself I always knew it would be one of our lads!!!!;):D:)

    It shouldn't matter what your preferences are but I understand that it is an easy mocking subject for the opposition fans, all we can ask for is for more open-minded fans. Unfortunately a lot of the fans of the GAA are rural people so they cannot comprehend others lifestyles!


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