thewoodquarter:Donal Óg Cusack is a hurler* who currently plays as a goalkeeper for th
thewoodquarter: Donal Óg Cusack is a hurler* who currently plays as a goalkeeper for the Cork senior team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation holding five Munster Championship titles, two All-Ireland medals and two GAA All-Star awards. In 2009 Cusack came out in his autobiography making him one of the few openly gay elite sportspersons in the world. And as much as I am loathe to admit it (my home county is a huge rival of Cork) you really have to admire his frankness. His coming out was a big deal in GAA circles here, and it was a big deal because nobody cared. They didn’t care in in the sense that it had no impact on his perception as a sportsman. In Ireland GAA cuts through social barriers, the strength of support for these clubs is almost familial. I think it has something to do with the fact that these sportspersons are not professionals. They do it for the love of the game and the pride of their clubs. These men and women are superstars but have day-jobs in banks and as teachers. (One of the most clebrated players ever is DJ Carey, who is a friend of my family. He runs a cleaning supply company!) A person would not be turned away because they were gay. They still form part of a community where expulsion is almost unthinkable. On Wednesday Donal Óg made a fantastic speech at the opening of the Foyle Pride event in Derry, which has been gaining a lot of intrest in the past few days. *In case you’re wondering what huring is, have a look at this. Reblogging because I haven’t seen this anywhere in my dash or anything. Video here although the sound quality isn’t perfect. -- source link
#foyle pride