Donal Óg Cusack (born 16 March 1977 in Cloyne, County Cork) is an Irish hurler. He plays hurling at club level with Cloyne and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 1999. He is the country's first openly homosexual elite sportsperson.
Biography
Donal Óg Cusack was born in Cloyne, County Cork in 1977. He was born into a family that had a strong link to Cork's hurling glories of the past. One of his close relations was Christy Ring, regarded by many as the greatest hurler of all-time, and a holder of a record eight All-Ireland medals with Cork.
Cusack was educated at the local national school in Cloyne village and later attended nearby Midleton CBS. It was here that his hurling talents first came to the fore. Cusack quickly became a key fixture on the school's senior hurling team and in 1994 his team lost the Dr. Harty Cup(Munster Senior Colleges Hurling Championship) final, the next year he repeated his Leaving Certificate and it paid off as he landed a Dr. Harty Cup title, making up for the previous years loss.
Following his secondary schooling Cusack began a career as an electrician. On 18 October 2009, he revealed to the Irish Mail on Sunday that he is gay. He released his autobiography, Come What May , in October 2009. He writes:
"I get more out of men. 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."
Playing career
Club
Cusack plays his local club hurling with his local club in Cloyne and has had some success with the club. He has annexed a number of East Cork hurling titles; however, it was as a member of the Imokilly divisional side in 1997 that he enjoyed his greatest success to date. That year Cusack lined out in the final of the county senior championship with Sarsfield's providing the opposition. A thrilling 1-18 to 2-12 victory gave Imokilly the title and gave Cusack a coveted county senior championship winners' medal.
1997 also saw Cusack taste victory with Cloyne. The club reached the county final of the county intermediate championship that year, with Delanys providing the opposition. The final whistle in that game saw Cloyne claim a merited 1-12 to 1-7 victory, giving Cusack a county intermediate championship winners' medal. This victory allowed Cloyne to join the ranks of the senior county championship in 1998.
By 2004 Cloyne had consolidated their position in the senior ranks, with Cusack serving as trainer of the team, and even reached the final. Na Piarsaigh provided the opposition, however, Cusack's side were no match for the city side. A great second-half display saw Cusack end up on the wrong side of a 0-17 to 0-10 defeat.
In 2005 Cloyne set out to avenge the previous year's defeat and reached the county final again. Newtownshandrum were the opponents on that occasion, however, Cloyne were still off the pace. A 0-15 to 0-9 defeat saw 'Newtown' take their third county title of the decade, while Cusack ended up on the losing side for a second year in-a-row.
2006 saw Cloyne reach a third successive county final. Erin's Own were the opponents and an exciting game ensued. A thrilling game produced a score line of 2-19 to 3-14, however, for the third year in-a-row Cusack ended up on the losing side.
Since that defeat Cloyne have failed to reach the championship decider of the county championship.
Minor and under-21
Cusack's hurling skills at colleges and club championship levels brought him to the attentions of the Cork inter-county selectors and he was soon picked for the minor team. In 1995 he won his sole Munster minor winners' medal as Cork trounced Waterford by 3-18 to 0-10. Cork later qualified for the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny with Cusack lining out in goal. The game turned into a rout as Cork won easily, giving Cusack a coveted All-Ireland winners' medal in the minor grade.
The following year Cusack moved onto the Cork under-21 team and more success quickly followed. He won a Munster title in this grade that same year as Clare were totally outclassed on a score line of 3-16 to 2-7. Cork, however, fell in the All-Ireland semi-final against Galway.
In 1997 Cusack added a second Munster under-21 medal to his collection when Tipperary were defeated by a single point. It took a late goal by Timmy McCarthy to secure a 1-11 to 0-13 victory. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Cork take on Galway and Cusack lining out in his usual left corner-forward spot. Cork were victorious on that occasion on a score line of 3-11 to 0-13 giving Cusack a coveted All-Ireland under-21 winners' medal.
1998 saw Cork maintaining their provincial dominance with Cusack collecting a third consecutive Munster under-21 medal with a 3-18 to 1-10 victory over Tipp. This victory marks Cusack out as one of the few players who never lost a provincial under-21 championship game. For the third year in a row Cork played in the All-Ireland final and, for the second consecutive year, Galway were the opponents. In a close game Cork just about secured a 2-15 to 2-10 win. It was Cusack's second consecutive All-Ireland under-21 winners' medal.
Senior
Cusack's move onto the Cork senior team was a natural progression for such a talented player. He made his senior debut in an Oireachtas game against Tipperary in 1996, however, at the time Ger Cunningham's position as first-choice goalkeeper was safe.
Following the conclusion of the 1998 championship Cunningham retired from inter-county hurling and Cusack was installed as Cork's new custodian. His elevation to the starting fifteen coincided with a year when Cork were back in their first Munster final since 1992. Clare, the team that had won three of the last four provincial titles, together with two All-Ireland titles, provided the opposition and were very much the favourites going into the game. An exciting contest unfolded with Joe Deane scoring a key goal after an excellent pass from Seánie McGrath. A score line of 1-15 to 0-14 gave Cork the victory and gave Cusack his first senior Munster title. Cork later defeated Offaly in one of the games of the year to set up an All-Ireland final meeting with arch-rivals Kilkenny. A wet and windy day meant that the classic game that everyone expected failed to materialise. Both sides shot seventeen wides over the course of the seventy minutes as a young and inexperienced Cork came back from five points down to win by 0-13 to 0-12. It was Cork's first senior All-Ireland title since 1990 and it was Cusack's first. He finished off the year by claiming his first All-Star award.
In 2000 Cork were the favourites to retain their All-Ireland title. The team got off to a good start by retaining their Munster title, however, Tipperary put up a good fight. It was Cusack's second Munster title as Cork won by 0-23 to 3-12. Cork's next game was an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Offaly. While Cork were expected to win the game without breaking a sweat Offaly caught Cusack's side on the hop and recorded a 0-19 to 0-15 win.
While the Cork hurling team should have gone from strength to strength as a result of a solid foundation at minor and under-21 levels the opposite happened. Embarrassing defeats in 2001 and 2002 saw the Cork hurling team reach rock bottom and call a players' strike just before Christmas in 2002. Cusack played a huge role as one of the main spokesmen in representing the welfare of his fellow players. Had the strike failed it could have meant the end of his and his fellow teammates' careers, however, in the end the county board relented and met the demands. Although still amateur sportsmen the Cork senior hurling team were treated as professional athletes.
In 2003 Cork's players were vindicated in taking a stand as the team reached the Munster final for the first time in three years. Waterford provided the opposition on that occasion as one of hurling’s modern rivalries began in earnest. An exciting game resulted between the two teams; however, victory went to Cork by 3-16 to 3-12. It was Cusack's third Munster medal and it gave a signal that Cork were back. Cusack's side were hot favourites going into the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final against Wexford, however, it was far from a walkover. In one of the most exciting games of the championship both sides finished level: Cork 2-20, Wexford 3-17. Both sides met again six days later with Cork making no mistake and taking the spoils on a score line of 3-17 to 2-7. This win set up an All-Ireland final meeting with Kilkenny. In another thrilling game of hurling both teams were level for much of the game, exchanging tit-for-tat scores. A Setanta Ó hAilpín goal steadied the Cork ship, however, a Martin Comerford goal five minutes from the end settled the game as Kilkenny went on to win by 1-14 to 1-11.
2004 saw Cork reach the Munster final once again and, for the second consecutive year, Waterford provided the opposition. In what many consider to be the greatest provincial decider of them all, both sides fought tooth-and-nail for the full seventy minutes. Unfortunately for Cusack Cork lost the game by just a single point on a score line of Waterford 3-16, Cork 1-21. Although Cork surrendered their provincial crown they were still in with a chance of landing the All-Ireland title. After maneuvering through the qualifiers Cork reached a second consecutive All-Ireland final and, once again, Kilkenny provided the opposition. This game took on a life of its own for a number of reasons. Chief among these was the fact that Kilkenny were attempting to capture a third All-Ireland in-
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