A well-known journalist in Co. Louth has been forced to give up playing GAA after being subjected to physical and verbal abuse.

Caoimhín Reilly, who writes for The Argus and Drogheda Independent newspapers, has penned a personal and powerful piece about his decision to stop playing for his beloved Roche Emmets. Reilly explains how he has suffered several concussions and broken bones on the field which he attributes to his reporting of Louth GAA affairs.

“I don’t do myself any favours in how I do this job,” he admitted.

“I’ve fallen out with people and some friends no longer speak to me. Pieces have been written which, in hindsight, I should not have scribed in the way I did.

“But I’ve no real regrets and while all of this may come across as quite one-dimensional, never once did I go out on to the field to deliberately hurt another player. On the other hand, when you hear that an opponent is ‘waiting to get a dig’ at you in the lead-in to a match, again, you’d have to wonder whether it’s worth it.

“This isn’t an attempt to live up to an ‘always the victim’ claim – the evidence is there to prove that it is actually the reality.”

 

When enough is enough and stepping away is the only option. Very personal piece, put together over the past few months: https://t.co/JgfMlgiJp9

— Caoimhín Reilly (@CaoimhinReilly) January 9, 2024

Tweet

Most Read Stories