'If you focus on life, and on living life well, just think of all the possibilities out there,' Mickey said. And stop before gambling becomes a problem. So they don’t go down the same road he did. I would hope a lot of young men and footballers read this. The rehab really did seem to be a good place to get straight, so was sad reading he had relapsed.īut the fake cancer charity fundraising was just absolutely disgusting. Of how so many people can only dream of being an All-Ireland winner, and he doesn't even go to the Award Banquet to accept his medal, because of the addiction. Since I don’t understand gambling addictions, it was good to get an insight into it and how low he could get with it. Maybe he is still working on it? Because some of the controversies are very much present day! As McCarron doesn’t sound like he’s changed his mentality. If this book was being told from 10-20 years in the future, of when he has had his life back together for decades, it might be appropriate. McCarron sounds like someone who has never had consequences for his actions. I loved this quote to do with trying to get into the heads of your opponent on the field "You're going off now, the board is about to go up with your number on it".Īs much as I loved this book and getting to see inside his world. The things that us fans never get to see or experience. It was interesting to get to see behind the scenes of an inter-county footballer. I did appreciate this quote from the start of the book "You always felt that hopelessness at home, of being unable to stop what you knew was inevitable ". The first thing that irked me (which is nothing compared to the situations that arose in the book), was McCarron calling his parents ‘Daddy and Mummy’. So here’s a small review on what I thought! I did appreciate this quote from the start of the book "You always felt that hopelessness at This book had a lot of hype with it’s release, so I was eager to read it! Some of the bad publicity I didn’t think wasn’t warranted (Late Late Show drama). So here’s a small review on what I thought! The first thing that irked me (which is nothing compared to the situations that arose in the book), was McCarron calling his parents ‘Daddy and Mummy’. This book had a lot of hype with it’s release, so I was eager to read it! Some of the bad publicity I didn’t think wasn’t warranted (Late Late Show drama). McCarron’s story is unlike any other written by a GAA player before.more His journey will also take you inside the dressing room of a team with serious ambitions of winning another All-Ireland title. The edge to the book is added with McCarron still an active inter-county player. He is now studying to be a counsellor, aiming to help people rid themselves of the demons that once almost destroyed his life. McCarron recalls his journey with searing honesty, from the depths of depression and to the edge of suicide to path taken back to recovery and rehabilitation. It also underlines the pressures and expectations so often taken for granted with amateur players. His story is a remarkable tale of the hidden demons that often visit and terrorise inter-county players. After a year out of the inter-county game with Tyrone in 2014, McCarron made a remarkable recovery in 2015, ending the season with an All-Star nomination. He slowly began the long road back to rehabilitation. When footage subsequently leaked, McCarron could no longer hide his terrible secret, and keep running from his troubled past. After getting paid, he walked across the road and gambled half his earnings in a betting shop. While effectively on the run in London in 2013, his life had spiralled so viciously out of control that he ended up having sex with a man for a gay porn website. However, he hid a dark secret for years, a gambling addiction which almost destroyed him. Afte Cathal McCarron is a Tyrone footballer, talented enough to be nominated for an All-Star twice in the last three years. Cathal McCarron is a Tyrone footballer, talented enough to be nominated for an All-Star twice in the last three years.