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GAA star Donal Og: Gay slurs have driven my mother away from games
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
enlargeThe mother of hurling star Donal Og Cusack has been forced to stop attending his games because of the stress of hearing homophobic abuse shouted at him from the terraces.
The Cork player has revealed that heckling bigots have ruined match days for his mother, who now stays at home.
Donal Og, who spoke publicly about being a gay sportsman this week, has admitted that while he never lets the abuse get to him, he hates what it does to his family and team-mates.
His account of the anti-gay abuse directed at him is the latest revelation to come from his forthcoming autobiography, Come What May. He is due to talk about the book on the Late Late Show on Friday.
Donal Og recalled the moment he was waiting to take a free at a championship game in Semple Stadium, when a man started up a hate-filled chant on a megaphone.
Team-mate Diarmuid O'Sullivan later asked guards to throw the culprit out and Denis Walsh wrote him a letter about it.
"And that's what gets to you," Donal Og said. "Other people. I leaned over the free and took it and struck it well. I have trained for this, but my father is in the back of my mind.
"Yerra though, he's tough, he'll get through it."
But, he then revealed: "My mother doesn't go to games anymore. The stress is too much.
"My sister Treasa has been deeply upset a few times by what she has heard.
"I hate what it does to those around me, especially when it doesn't hurt me at all."
Despite the abuse he has had to endure, he said he got the feeling that "something good" should come of it. He said he accepted it was "human nature" and was not going to change.
He developed a mental strategy for dealing with it -- "trigger points" so that when he hears abuse positive thoughts come into his head instead.
"Mostly it's just the same f***ing thing," he said. "The fellas that want to hurt you will go for the personal stuff. Calling you queer, ingenious stuff like that.
"I can't put my finger on when the abuse about my personal life started, funnily enough. I hear it all the time, though -- Ballygunner in a challenge game this year, Kilkenny this year, when I walked onto the field in Clarecastle for a training session."
But a defiant Donal Og added: "It makes no difference to me if you call me Brokeback... and if there are a hundred or a thousand hurlers or rugby players or camogie players out there in their teens, struggling with the idea of what they are, I hope they'll know that fools with megaphones or runny mouths just don't count."
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Geraldine, I'm positive that by coming out so bravely and publicly Donal Og has done a great deal for young gay people living in rural Ireland. He has done what is most likely a personally difficult thing for the greater good, and that marks him out as a brave, selfless person, who also appears to be blessed with a supportive and enlightened family. If you find his story irrelevent to you, if you really do not care one way or another, it begs the question why do you feel obliged to come onto a unlicensed forum to say he should keep his mouth shut. Be careful, you might mistakenly be taken for a homophobe.
Mr. Gould, words fail me.
Posted by Ronan | 25.10.09, 13:26 GMT
Ulysses32, you have hit the nail on the head.
Posted by Gomara | 22.10.09, 17:31 GMT
Again, w.gould, I'll ask the question. Is gomara the twin town of Connemara?
Never heard of it before.
If you are going to spout nonsense at least have the courtesy to spout literate nonsense.
Maybe you thumped the bible that much the words have become illegible. Or maybe you are just another homophobic idiot.
Posted by Ulysses32 | 22.10.09, 11:03 GMT
For the life of me, I have no idea why this man has to state what his sexual preference is. I do not want to know. I believe in keeping my personal sexual life to myself. In his doing this he has brought his family into his personal sexual behaviour because he has broadcast it to the world. WHY? I will never understand this. What does he hope to gain. He has hurt his family and should just get off the social scene. Writing an autobiagraply at his young age - what is his agenda?
Posted by Geraldine | 22.10.09, 03:52 GMT
w. gould...I think there's a ship leaving to the dark ages...if you hurry you might catch it...I'm guessing you were probably the guy with the megaphone mentioned above
Posted by Ger | 21.10.09, 23:58 GMT
there is enjoyment and going against gods wishes remember sodom and gomara
Posted by w. gould | 21.10.09, 17:34 GMT
Good man Donal og. I wonder how many of the "brave" hecklers could play a tough guy sport like hurling.
Easy for me to say but ignore the morons.
Posted by Sean O Brien | 21.10.09, 16:42 GMT
A tougher man than most!
Posted by hope | 21.10.09, 16:28 GMT
Fair play to Donal! In this country mindless bigots are everywhere, especially sport, they should realise that they are not wanted and stay at home instead of attending matches and ruining other people's enjoyment
Posted by Michelle | 21.10.09, 14:22 GMT
Donals maturity, honesty and resilience is an inspiring to me and will be to so many other young people. His message is made all the more profound because has given so much detail and is completely unapologetic - rightfully so. Being gay really isn't that different. Hopefully Donals publicity will help to show up the bigots in the stands for the complete fools they really are! Well done, mate.
Posted by Ross | 21.10.09, 10:47 GMT
Looks like my comment on yesterdays article was right.
BT milking this story for all it is worth.
What do we have to look forward to tomorrow? His second cousins views on the matter?
Give it up, BT, before you turn into the News of the World.
Posted by Richard | 21.10.09, 08:58 GMT