D. J. Carey

D.J. Carey

Personal information
Irish name	Donncha Seosamh Ó Ciara
Sport	Hurling
Position	Half-forward
Born	November 11, 1970 (1970-11-11) (age 41) Gowran, County Kilkenny
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Nickname	The Dodger
Club(s)
Years	Club
1988-2007	Young Irelands
Club Titles
Kilkenny titles	2
Inter-county(ies)**
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1990-2005	Kilkenny	57 (34-195)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	10
All Irelands	5
NHL	4
All Stars	9
**Inter County team apps and scores correct as of (16:56, 18 August 2006 (UTC)).

Denis Joseph Carey (born 11 November 1970 in Gowran, County Kilkenny), better known as D.J. Carey (Irish: Donncha Seosamh Ó Ciara), is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Young Irelands from 1988 until 2007 and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1990 until 2005. Carey is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers of his generation, while some commentators rate him as one of the greatest of all-time.^[1][2][3]

Carey’s status as one of the greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for fifteen years he won five All-Ireland titles, ten Leinster titles, four National Hurling League titles and two Railway Cup titles with Leinster. His tally of 34 goals and 195 points from 57 championship games mark him out as one of the top five scorers of all-time. Carey has made more appearances for Kilkenny than any other player and is the county’s third highest scorer behind Eddie Keher and Henry Shefflin.

Carey has also been the recipient of many awards and honours off the field. In 1993 his hurling prowess earned him the prestigious Texaco Hurler of the Year award. Seven years later in 2000 he received this honour for the second time as well as being presented with the Eircell Hurler of the Year award. There was some mild surprise when Carey was omitted from the GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium in 2000.^[4] He was, however, named in the left wing-forward position on the Kilkenny Hurling Team of the Century. In 2002 Carey equalled Pat Spillane's record by collecting a ninth All-Star award.^[5]

Towards the end of his career Carey also served as president of the Gaelic Players Association.^[6]

On May 9, 2011 DJ Carey and his partner, Sarah Newman, consented at the Commercial Court to a judgment for more than €9 million against them in favour of AIB Mortgage Bank arising from loans and guarantees of each other's liabilities.The judgment was made up of €1,517.891 under the €1.5 million loan and €7,901,084 under the guarantee of Mr Carey's liabilities.^[7]

Biography

Denis Joseph Carey was born in Waterford, in 1970. He was born into a large family, with ten brothers and eight sisters. One of his sisters, Catriona, is a star player on the Irish field hockey team, as well as being part of the Kilkenny senior camogie team. His brother, Martin Carey, was also a member of the Kilkenny hurling panel as a substitute goalkeeper for a number of years. Carey was always destined to be a hurler as many of his relatives had already shown great skill at the game. His aunt, Peggy Carey, won four All-Ireland camogie titles with Kilkenny and his granduncle, Paddy Phelan, was an iconic hurler of the 1930s and was selected on the GAA Hurling Team of the Century and the GAA Team of The Millennium.^[8]

Carey was educated at St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny where his hurling skills were first developed. Ironically, when he had the choice of playing either hurling or football at under-12 level with Kilkenny, Carey chose football. When it became apparent to him that football was the lesser of the two Gaelic games in Kilkenny, Carey soon made the switch to hurling. The 1970s and 1980s were great years for Kilkenny hurling, and stars of that period like Eddie Keher, Frank Cummins and Billy Fitzpatrick were a big influence on the young hurler. Carey later studied at St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny, a famed hurling nursery. It was here that his hurling skills were developed further and he won back-to-back All-Ireland colleges' titles in 1988 and 1989.^[9]

Carey’s big achievement outside sport is his successful business venture D.J. Carey Enterprises.^[10] Based in his home village of Gowran, this is a wholesale company that sells hygiene products to other businesses. Carey’s private life, involving his wife and two children, had long been the subject of intense media scrutiny and rumour. News of the breakdown of his seven-year marriage hit the headlines shortly before the All-Ireland final in 2003 although Carey and his wife had been separated for more than a year. A year later Carey spoke for the first time about the marriage break-down and of finding new love with British-born millionairess Sarah Newman.^[11] Carey has also been lauded for his tireless charity work at home and abroad.^[12]

Playing career

Club

Carey played his club hurling with his local Young Irelands club in Gowran. He has enjoyed much success with the club at under-age level, where he played in goal for much of the time. He joined the club's top team in the early 1990s and captured a county intermediate title in 1992.^[13] The club joined the ranks of the senior championship as a result of this victory. Four years later in 1996 Carey added a senior county title title to his collection.^[13] Six years later he won a second county title at senior level after a 3-14 to 1-15 defeat of Dunnamaggin. The game saw Carey give a remarkable display of hurling in which he scored two goals and seven points.^[14] As a result of these two county championship wins Carey was awarded with the captaincy of the Kilkenny senior team for the following year. Carey played his last match for Young Irelands in 2007 in relegation play-off against Mullinavat at Nowlan Park.^[15]

Minor & under-21

Carey first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Kilkenny minor hurling team. He narrowly missed out on a place on the team in 1987, however, he became a full member of the team in 1988. That year Carey won a Leinster medal in that grade following a 2-16 to 0-6 trouncing of Offaly.^[16] An appearance in the subsequent All-Ireland final beckoned for Carey, with arch-rivals Cork providing the opposition. An interesting game developed, however, 'the Cats' ability to score goal proved crucial. At the full-time whistle KIlkenny were the victors by 3-13 to 0-12, giving Carey a coveted All-Ireland minor medal.^[17]

Carey subsequently joined the county under-21 panel with whom he won a Leinster title in 1990, after a 2-9 to 1-10 defeat of Laois.^[18] The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted 'the Cats' against near neighbours and rivals Tipperary. Another close game developed, however, Kilkenny's goal-scoring ability proved the difference. A final score of 2-11 to 1-11 gave Carey an All-Ireland medal in the under-21 grade.^[19]

Senior

By this stage Carey was also a member of the Kilkenny senior team. He made his debut in the 1988-1989 National Hurling League, a campaign which resulted in Carey collecting his first national title as Kilkenny became league champions.^[20] Several weeks after this win he made his championship debut, however, Offaly emerged victorious on that occasion whiule Kilkenny exited the championship at an early stage.

In 1991 Kilkenny bounced back in the championship after something of a lean period, with Carey lining out in his first provincial decider. Dublin provided the opposition on that occasion; however, the men from the capital proved to be no pushovers. With seconds left in the game ‘the Dubs’ were winning by a single point, however, a last-gasp goal sealed a 1-11 to 0-13 victory for ‘the Cats’.^[21] It was Carey's first Leinster winners’ medal in the senior grade. Another nail-biting win over Antrim in similar circumstances set up an All-Ireland final meeting with Tipperary, their first championship encounter in twenty years. The opening thirty-five minutes saw both sides trade score-for-score, however, a controversial 20-metre free, miss-hit by Michael Cleary, landed in the net and gave Tipp a lead which they never surrendered. The final score of 1-16 to 0-15 resulted in a loss for Kilkenny.^[22] In spite of this defeat Carey was later presented with his first All-Star award.

In 1992 Kilkenny bounced back from the All-Ireland defeat and Carey collected a second Leinster medal following a comprehensive 3-16 to 2-9 defeat of Wexford.^[21] The subsequent All-Ireland final saw ‘the Cats’ take on Cork for the first time in nearly a decade. The game was well balanced for the first-half, however, Carey scored a goal four minutes before the break. This seemed to give Kilkenny the impetus to go on and win the game. Two more goals by John Power and Michael Phelan in the second-half secured a win for Kilkenny and a first senior All-Ireland medal for Carey.^[23] A second All-Star award soon followed.

In 1993 Kilkenny were still on top of the hurling world and Carey captured a third consecutive Leinster title after a draw and a replay with Wexford.^[21] He later lined out in his third successive All-Ireland final appearance as ‘the Cats’ faced Galway for the first time since 1987. Galway won on that occasion; however, in 1993 they were lagging behind Kilkenny for much of the game. They went a point ahead coming into the last quarter; however, Kilkenny won the match by five points, giving Carey a second All-Ireland medal.^[24] A third All-Star award quickly followed as well as the honour of being named Texaco Hurler of the Year. At twenty-two he was one of the youngest-ever recipients of the accolade.

In 1994 Kilkenny were aiming for an impressive third All-Ireland in-a-row, however, the team fell at the first hurdle in the provincial championship. In spite of this defeat Carey’s prowess earned him a fourth consecutive All-Star award.

In 1995 it looked as if Kilkenny’s hurling fortunes were turning. At the start of the year Carey added a second National League title to his collection as Kilkenny defeated Clare to take the title.^[25] In spite of this victory 1995 proved to be an unhappy year for Carey as Kilkenny were trounced by Offaly in the Leinster final.^[21] In spite of this championship defeat Carey later collected a fifth consecutive All-Star award.

Kilkenny failed to make the provincial final in 1996, while in 1997, with Carey as captain, the team were defeated by Wexford.^[21] As defeated provincial finalists Carey’s side were able to have another shot at the All-Ireland title via the newly-introduced ‘back-door’ system. After a great defeat of Galway, in which Carey put in a great performance, his side were later defeated by eventual winners Clare in the All-Ireland semi-final.^[26] A sixth All-Star award quickly followed.

In early 1998 Carey shocked the hurling world by retiring from inter-county activity. The pressure of being a high-profile inter-county star in the spotlight was the reason he gave for his decision. At the age of 27 it looked as if the hurling world had lost one of its greatest players. Carey’s retirement was short-lived. Six weeks after the announcement he had received 25,000 letters from all over the country encouraging him not to retire.^[27] Carey reversed his decision and Kilkenny, under the new management of Kevin Fennelly, defeated Offaly in the provincial final.^[21] It was Carey’s fourth Leinster winners’ medal. Kilkenny later cruised to an All-Ireland final appearance where Offaly provided the opposition once again. The defeated Leinster finalists had certainly learned from their mistakes with Joe Errity and Brian Whelahan scoring key goals. At the full-time whistle Offaly emerged as the winners by 2-16 to 1-13.^[28] It was the first time that a defeated team had won the All-Ireland title via the ‘back-door’ system. Carey was also completely subdued in the final, a possible reason for his omission from the All-Stars team.

In 1999 Brian Cody took over as manager and Kilkenny began their domination of the championship. That year Carey won his fifth Leinster title as Offaly, the All-Ireland champions, fell heavily in the provincial final. The score of 5-14 to 1-16 tells its own story.^[21] The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Kilkenny take on Cork, their age-old rivals, for the first time since 1992. On that occasion Carey won his first All-Ireland medal, however, there was to be no success for him in 1999. A poor game on a wet day gave one of the youngest Cork teams ever the All-Ireland title.^[29] In spite of the loss Carey was still presented with a seventh All-Star award.

In 2000 Carey captured a sixth Leinster medal as Kilkenny completed their annual trouncing of Offaly once again. On this occasion the score line was a more respectable 2-21 to 1-13 in favour of ‘the Cats’.^[21] An appearance in his sixth All-Ireland soon followed for Carey as ‘the Cats’ lined out against Offaly for the second time that season. After just six minutes Carey scored the first of five goals as Kilkenny exposed the Offaly full-back line. He scored 2-4 that day and shared his second goal with a young Henry Shefflin. Further goals by Charlie Carter and Eddie Brennan saw Kilkenny win on a score line of 5-15 to 1-14 and allowed Carey capture his third All-Ireland medal.^[29] He later collected his eighth All-Star award, as well as being named Texaco Hurler of the Year and Eircell Hurler of the Year.^[30]

In 2001 Carey added a seventh Leinster medal to his collection following another 2-19 to 0-12 demolition of Wexford in the provincial final.^[21] In spite of being the favourites to retain the championship title Kilkenny were later caught on the hop by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.^[31]

In 2002 ‘the Cats’ bounced back with Carey winning an eighth Leinster title. The score line was much closer than in previous encounters with Wexford, as ‘the Cats’ only had a 0-19 to 0-17 win.^[21] Kilkenny subsequently had an easy passage into the All-Ireland final where Clare, a team defeated in the first round of the championship, provided the opposition. Once again Carey was on form, scoring a goal after just three minutes of play. Together with Henry Shefflin they scored 2-13 of Kilkenny’s total of 2-20.^[32] Clare fought back in the second-half; however, it was Kilkenny’s day. Carey had captured a fourth All-Ireland medal and was later presented with a record-equaling ninth All-Star award.^[33]

In 2003 Carey added to his medal collection by capturing a third National League title following a thrilling 5-14 to 5-13 defeat of Tipp.^[25] Carey later captained Kilkenny in the championship as collected a sixth consecutive Leinster winners’ medal after an eleven-point win over Wexford.^[21] It was his ninth provincial title overall. Kilkenny later faced Cork in an exciting and close All-Ireland final. The Leinster men never led by more than four-points and only secured victory with a late Martin Comerford goal.^[32] Carey won his fifth All-Ireland medal that day as captain; however, he was later omitted from the All-Star selection once again.

In 2004 Kilkenny were aiming for an unprecedented third All-Ireland victory in-a-row, however, the team was now under severe pressure from all quarters. For the first time in seven years Kilkenny failed in their bid to become Leinster champions as a last-gasp Wexford goal ended an almost unprecedented run of success in the provincial semi-final. Kilkenny took the scenic route via the qualifiers system; however, after a scare against Clare they still reached the All-Ireland final. Once again Cork provided the opposition on a gloomy and overcast day. The sides were level for much of the game; however, in the final twenty minutes Cork scored nine points without reply and secured the 0-17 to 0-9 victory.^[32] Kilkenny ended the year with no silverware.

The team bounced back in 2005 with Carey adding a fourth and final National League medal to his ever-growing collection.^[25] He later won a tenth Leinster title as ‘the Cats’ had a narrow win over reigning provincial champions Wexford. While a third successive All-Ireland showdown with Cork seemed extremely likely, Galway defeated Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final in one of the game’s of the decade.^[34] This was Carey's last appearance in the black and amber jersey of Kilkenny. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling at the start of the championship in 2006. Brian Cody had wished him to remain on the panel as an impact sub, however, Carey favoured a complete break from hurling at the top level.^[35]

Provincial

Carey also lined out with Leinster in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He first tasted success with his province in 1993 when Leinster defeated Ulster to take the Railway Cup title. Defeat was Leinster’s lot for the next few years, however, Carey added a second Railway Cup medal to his collection in 1998.^[36]

Honours

Team awards

Young Irelands

• Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (2): 1996, 2002
  • Runner-up (3): 1997, 2003, 2004

Kilkenny

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (5): 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2003
  • Runner-up (4): 1991, 1998, 1999, 2004
• Leinster Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (10): 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
• National Hurling League:
  • Winner (4): 1989-1990, 1994–1995, 2003, 2005
• All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1990
• Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1990
• All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1988
• Leinster Minor Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1988

Leinster

• Railway Cup:
  • Winner (2): 1993, 1998
  • Runner-up (3): 1994, 1996, 2000

References

1. ^ Humphries, Tom (2003-10-05). "Sticks and thrones". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/oct/05/features.sportmonthly1. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
2. ^ "D.J. Carey". www.hoganstand.com. 1993-06-04. http://www.hoganstand.com/Kilkenny/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=78837. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
3. ^ Ó Muircheartaigh, Micheál (2004). Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh – the Autobiography. Penguin Books. pp. 88. 
4. ^ "GAA: Carey surprise omission from Millennium team". RTÉ Sport. 2000-07-24. http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2000/0724/gaa2.html. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
5. ^ "Dazzling DJ poised to equal Spillane's record of nine All Star awards". Irish Independent. 2002-11-27. http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/dazzling-dj-poised-to-equal-spillanes-record-of--nine-all-star-awards-287042.html. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
6. ^ "Gaelic Players Association the 'lifeblood of GAA'". Irish Examiner. 2003-01-27. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2003/01/27/story812874416.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 
7. ^ "Carey ordered to repay AIB €9m". The Irish TImes. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0509/breaking42.html. Retrieved 9 May 2011. 
8. ^ "Carey was a gift from heaven". Irish Independent. 2006-06-04. http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/carey-was-a-gift-from-heaven-130850.html. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
9. ^ Donegan, Des (2005). The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games. DBA Publications. pp. 225. 
10. ^ "Eight more lives to go for Kilkenny’s top cat". Irish Examiner. 1998-02-11. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1998/02/11/shead.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
11. ^ "DJ Carey reveals his new love happiness". The Irish Post. 2004-03-16. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishpost/2004/03/16/story249.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
12. ^ "GAA stars get fired up for charity golf event in La Manga". Charity Guide. 2008-04-08. http://charityguide.blogspot.com/2008/04/gaa-stars-get-fired-up-for-charity-golf.html. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
13. ^ ^{a b} "Roll of Honour". Young Irelands. http://youngirelands.kilkenny.gaa.ie/rollofhonour.html. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
14. ^ "Young Irelands 3-14 Dunnamaggin 1-15". Irish Examiner. 2002-10-28. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2002/10/28/story218712357.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
15. ^ "D.J. Retires". www.squareball.com. 2007-10-05. http://www.squareball.com/blog/2007/10/05/talking-balls-issue-26-well-informed-ignorance-2/. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
16. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 40
17. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 29
18. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 49
19. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 42
20. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 69
21. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 27
22. ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 363. 
23. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 363
24. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 364
25. ^ ^{a b c} The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 70
26. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 8
27. ^ "Carey was a gift from heaven". Irish Independent. 2006-06-04. http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/carey-was-a-gift-from-heaven-130850.html. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 
28. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 365
29. ^ ^{a b} The GAA Book of Lists p. 366
30. ^ "Kilkenny win nine hurling All Stars". BBC Sport. 2000-12-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/1050670.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 
31. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 9
32. ^ ^{a b c} The GAA Book of Lists p. 367
33. ^ "Dazzling DJ poised to equal Spillane's record of nine All Star awards". Irish Independent. 2002-11-27. http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/dazzling-dj-poised-to-equal-spillanes-record-of--nine-all-star-awards-287042.html. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 
34. ^ "Galway face Cork in hurling final". BBC Sport. 2005-08-21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/4171758.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 
35. ^ "Carey quits inter-county hurling". BBC Sport. 2006-06-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/5039480.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 
36. ^ "Leinster Railway Cup Winning Teams". Leinster GAA. http://leinster.gaa.ie/archive/pdf/P70_75RailwayCup.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-29. 

Awards
Preceded by Brian Corcoran (Cork)	Texaco Hurler of the Year 1993	Succeeded by Brian Whelahan (Offaly)
Preceded by Brian Corcoran (Cork)	Eircell Hurler of the Year 2000	Succeeded by Tommy Dunne (Tipperary)
Preceded by Brian Corcoran (Cork)	Texaco Hurler of the Year 2000	Succeeded by Tommy Dunne (Tipperary)
Achievements
Preceded by Andy Comerford (Kilkenny)	All-Ireland Senior Hurling winning captain 2003	Succeeded by Ben O'Connor (Cork)
Sporting positions
Preceded by Tom Hickey	Kilkenny Senior Hurling Captain 1997	Succeeded by Michael Phelan
Preceded by Charlie Carter	Kilkenny Senior Hurling Captain 2003	Succeeded by Martin Comerford

External links

• D J Carey
• A picture of D.J. Carey
• DJ Carey videos on KilkennyCats Hurling Forum
• Official Gaelic Players Association Website

Teams

Persondata
Name	Carey, D.J.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1970-11-11
Place of birth	Gowran
Date of death
Place of death