I’m reserving judgment about Dónal Óg Cusack’s Daily Mail disclosures in advance of his autobiography. When I read the whole thing, particularly the Waterford excerpts – such as Flynner’s goal in ’04 – I’ll be able to judge its merits more; though a lot of stuff would have already been covered, I’d have thought, in the extensive insights Cusack gave for the excellent ‘Last Man Standing’ (Christy O’Connor) and ‘Hurling: The Revolution Years’ (Denis Walsh).
Much has been made of the ‘coming out’ aspect of his story, and there’s no surprise there as he’s the first high-profile Irish sportsperson to my knowledge – and I’m open to correction on that – to declare him/herself gay.
Most people knew it already so the news value is only in people’s reaction to his confirmation of it. The law of averages suggest he’s far from alone among the GAA and wider sporting community, though despite the tolerant tone of the public response I can’t see a rush of revelations. Cusack is a rare breed, confident and comfortable in his own skin. Some would say that as a Corkman he’s at a natural advantage on that score.
