RSS
Sport


Home Page > Sport > Top Irish sports star says he's gay

Blogs


comment on article Make a comment
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

Top Irish sports star says he's gay

Legendary Cork hurling goalkeeper Donal Og Cusack comes out in autobiography

By
KENNETH HAYNES,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Monday, October 19, 2009, 8:53 AM
Updated Sunday, October 25, 2009, 5:33 PM

 

Bookmark and Share

Donal Og Cusack

IrishCentral.com Poll

What do you think about hurling star Donal Og Cusack coming out of the closet?

Good for him! Ireland has come a long way


It's just a way to sell his new book


Legendary Cork hurling goalkeeper Donal Og Cusack has revealed that he is gay in his new autobiography.

Cusack is one of the first Irish sports personalities to come out of the closet. The Cloyne star made the revelation in his autobiography “Come What May."

“I tried to go out with women to make sure, to see what kind of feeling it gave me," the triple All Ireland medal-winning hurler is quoted as writing in The Belfast Telegraph.

“I went out with nice women and good women, but sure, I still knew. I wanted something else. I get more out of men. I just do. Always have. I know I am different but just in this way. Whatever you may feel about me or who I am, I've always been at peace with it.”

In the book Cusack explains that he was in South Africa when he got a call from his sister telling him that rumors of his sexual orientation were flying about.

The 32-year-old returned home and says that coming out to his family was one of the hardest things he has had to do in his life.

Reaction from Gay and Lesbian groups in Ireland has been hugely supportive.

Michael Barron of BeLonG, an Irish of gay, lesbian and bisexual support group, told the Irish Examiner newspaper that it was a first in Irish sporting culture.

"It’s very brave of Dónal Óg to come out," he said. "It’s a real landmark in Irish culture for someone of his standing to come out. He’s the first major sports star and that will have a positive impact."

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Be the first to make a comment.

It may take several minutes for your comment to appear.


Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password