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Donall Farmer/INPHO

'I was a compulsive liar. I was a thief. I was doing whatever I could to con people'

Davy Glennon said his mother remortgaged the family home to repay his gambling debts.

GALWAY HURLER DAVY Glennon has opened up on his recovery from a chronic gambling addiction that drove him to steal tens of thousands of euro from his employers and led to his mother remortgaging the family home to repay his debts.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke programme the Mullagh star sketched a brief history of his gambling obsession, which began with him betting his lunch money during school and ended with him losing huge sums on soccer matches involving teams he had never heard of.

Glennon said he was an habitual gambler for eight years and his house of cards eventually tumbled down when his employer, alcohol distributor J&C Kenny, discovered the Galway sharpshooter had used fake accounts to steal money from the company. The family run business was nearly forced to close due to the losses.

He outlined that working for the wine and spirits distributor was his dream job and the fact that he threw it away because of his addiction makes him feel sick.

“When I was working I was able to set up fake accounts,” he explained.

I was a compulsive liar and I was, obviously, a thief and I was doing everything I could to con people to try and get the cash for me to gamble… I had no conscience. I didn’t care. I had no respect for myself I had no respect for anybody.

When his deceit was exposed he said his overwhelming emotion was a huge sense of relief that he no longer had to continue telling countless lies to cover his tracks.

Throughout his darkest times hurling provided an outlet for him to escape from the turmoil of his daily life but when he left the dressing room and headed for his car ‘gambling Davy’ always returned.

‘Mystery donor’

After he emerged from Cuan Mhuire, a treatment centre for addiction, in 2015 Glennon was still heavily indebted to J&C Kenny. Earlier this month Galway Circuit Criminal Court heard that a mystery donor had repaid €70,000 to the company and the victims on the hurler’s behalf.

Glennon was handed 240 hours community service in lieu of seven concurrent two-year prison sentences after pleading guilty to seven sample charges of theft from the wholesale wine and spirits distributor.

Speaking to O’Rourke Glennon explained that his mother was the mystery donor and she had remortgaged the family home to settle the bill.

“My parents always said that they never owed anyone any money and I’m going to be the same,” he said.

The All Ireland winner is now working in a gym in Loughrea and repaying his mother every week. Each payment represents another step on his journey of recovery, but despite his best efforts he knows he has a long road to travel to repair the damage he has done to his family.

My parents, obviously, still don’t have the full 100% trust in me, (they) never will because of what I’ve done. But they’re building trust back in me and they knew that if I was doing good, and I was doing good for myself, that a little hand along the way, to get myself up and running again, and get me started to make amends for what I’ve done.

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    Mute Dan
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    May 29th 2018, 1:58 PM

    Best of luck Davy. It is hard opening up but you will reach loads of people with your story and may help a few folks with the lessons you learned the hard way. Hopefully our government will put a few barriers in place regarding online gambling that can suck in the new generation using their smartphone and help prevent people getting hooked….

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    Mute Billy McNamara
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    May 29th 2018, 2:47 PM

    Should have got a jail term for the deceit and theft.The garlic man wasn’t shown the same mercy.

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    Mute Fergus Sheahan
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    May 29th 2018, 3:10 PM

    @Billy McNamara: the garlic man defrauded the revenue and didn’t pay any money back, his mother paid his outstanding debt so what would be the point in sending him to jail?

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    Mute Billy McNamara
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    May 29th 2018, 3:57 PM

    @Fergus Sheahan: As a lesson.Crime doesn’t pay.He stole from his employers and almost closed a business due to his selflesness.Just because his poor mother(and probably some GAA benefactor) were forced to pay off his debts doesn’t put him in the clear.All the crying and RTE licking up to him doesn’t change anything.He committed a serious crime and should pay some penalty for his decietful actions.

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    Mute Liam Lally
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    May 29th 2018, 4:14 PM

    @Fergus Sheahan: The Garlic Man was paying the incorrect VAT %. The revenue calculated the balance and his company paid over a period.

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    Mute Fergus Sheahan
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    May 29th 2018, 4:15 PM

    @Billy McNamara: How is the garlic thing a lessor crime? he stole money from the revenue, money which is used to fund education and health, if anything it’s worse..All money has been paid back, he has no chance or re offending because he’ll never have the opportunity again, so would sending him to jail (at a massive cost to the state) be a good thing?

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    Mute Billy McNamara
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    May 29th 2018, 4:57 PM

    @Fergus Sheahan: Major Theft is major theft,irespective of in what situation it happens.Your’e obviously a GAA member so your vision of right and wrong is clouded due to your colors.No point in continuing this discussion with you as you are unable to see a serious wrongdoing.

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    Mute Fergus Sheahan
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    May 29th 2018, 6:49 PM

    @Billy McNamara: 70 grand or 1.6 million there is a difference i suggest you consult an abacus…not from Galway or involved in the GAA i just don’t see the need for prison in this instance

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    Mute Billy McNamara
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    May 29th 2018, 7:40 PM

    @Fergus Sheahan: Fergus these days I use a calculator or my iPhone to calculate things.€1.6 mil or €70 grand ,both are MAJOR theft and deserve prison.If non payment of a TV licence of € 170 can get you Mountjoy where do you end up with € 70,000 theft??????????

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    Mute Ciarán FitzGerald
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    May 29th 2018, 2:06 PM

    Worrying that a lot of GAA stars seem to get into this problem….
    Is it the sports mad competitive life ? Win at all costs mentality ? Maybe GAA attracts the kind of person who seeks the winning buzz?

    Theres been so many stories of gambling addiction for inter county stars over the last 4-5 years that it cannot be just co-incidence and we only hear the high profile lads not the less known cases.

    Hope these lads get the help they need- nobody intentionally goes out to ruin their own, their friends and their families lives.

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    Mute Ciarán Ó Fallúin
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    May 29th 2018, 2:51 PM

    @Ciarán FitzGerald:

    GAA isn’t the common link here folks. It’s age and gender. Check your local soccer team, you’ll find the same problem. I’ve seen four soccer/GAA players I played with or against out themselves as gambling addicts in recent years and one who took his life rather than go public. The problem is 20 something guys, getting a job and a bit of disposable cash. It could be a Saturday spent with the lads in the pub and walking over to the bookies, or some work colleagues chatting about odds on a horse or match and them downloading an app and from there it snowballs. Walking my dog down the main street in my midlands town in the evening, the only things open are the two pubs opposite the two bookies, at 7.30 on a Monday… You just see lads doing laps crossing the street.

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    Mute Ciarán Ó Fallúin
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    May 29th 2018, 3:00 PM

    @Ciarán FitzGerald: As a 32 year old Irish male, the biggest threat I see around me bar none is how swiftly gambling has shredded the lives of some lads I know. For the four I mentioned above, I could guess another 6 or 7 still trying to hide it. There’s no clear predictor for which guys are going to take it too far, some element of competition does come into play, but you’ll see guys who are super competitive and addicted to gaming, never picked up a ball in their life and definitely never rode a horse but find themselves backing the 3.35 in Newmarket from the jacks in work before they know it. I see PP recently announced profits were up 18% to £475m. Great news for shareholders.

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    Mute Billy McNamara
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    May 29th 2018, 6:53 PM

    @Ciarán FitzGerald: Ah come on Ciaran.These “lads” take money from those that trusted them.These “lads” are adults who make choices that have far reaching consequences on others.Less of the “lads” labels if you please.And call it as it is,these MEN are gamblers and thieves who are prepared to rob and steal from their nearest and dearest to get a rush.

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    Mute AM
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    May 29th 2018, 4:13 PM

    Best of luck to Davy, I was struck at how honest he was in this interview. I struggle with alcohol addiction and thankfully now in recovery. The urge to drink, use and gamble is one of the greatest powers to fight back from and no one other than an addict will understand.

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    Mute Dave Walsh
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    May 29th 2018, 2:23 PM

    Gambling is addiction,the cravings inside you overwhelm you.Nothing matters but the buzz the adrenaline surge from that big win.And you use that money looking for the next high.Its a vicious circle that the bookies,gambling arcades,and online site exploite,with no consequence,part of their profit should go to help those with problems.

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    Mute Garret Murray
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    May 30th 2018, 8:22 AM

    I suppose you want us to believe gambling is a disease, Nonse

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    Mute Adrian
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    May 29th 2018, 3:01 PM

    Some guys can’t handle it, but others can. Some people go swim too far from the shore and get into trouble, but most have the discipline not to go out too far. Should we all stop swimming so? No!

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    Mute Pa Magee
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    May 29th 2018, 3:46 PM

    @Adrian: You’re some bell*nd!

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    Mute AM
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    May 29th 2018, 4:17 PM

    @Adrian: What a profound take on addiction. Please, tell us more about your vast insight into one of the most insidous diseases on the planet today. There’s a saying in 12 step programmes that any addiction is cunning, baffling and powerful. For you to grasp this disease so eloquently is truly outstanding….if it were about discipline, don’t you think people in addiction would just stop???

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    Mute The Debater
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    May 29th 2018, 7:57 PM

    @Adrian: you are some toolbox

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    Mute Goose Gosling
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    May 29th 2018, 3:48 PM

    They should get him on Off The Ball for an interview, probably before yer man from Boyle sports reads out the odds for the days matches

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    Mute Andrew Tuite
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    May 29th 2018, 10:14 PM

    @Goose Gosling: and have joe and kilbane moralise about the dangers of gambling while taking the boylesports coin.

    On another point, he stole 70k ultimately and that nearly sent the company down?? It must have been funked anyway

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    Mute Ronan Gallagher
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    May 30th 2018, 10:10 PM

    @Goose Gosling: why?

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    Mute Eamo Hansen
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    May 29th 2018, 7:38 PM

    Not his first time in court. A Leopard doesn’t change his spots.

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    Mute Kerrie Roche
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    May 29th 2018, 3:55 PM

    Addiction of any kind has no barriers, male, female, gender neutral, drink, drugs, adrenaline, etc but gambling seems to affect young guys more, available 24 7 with incredible highs and incredible lows, but not only will they suffer addiction they will never get loans, mortgages , hp once financial institutions see betting on account.

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    Mute Cranky
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    May 29th 2018, 8:31 PM

    Does he want a clap on the back.

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    Mute pat seery
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    May 29th 2018, 10:30 PM

    Davy Keep strong keep talking and you will always help people with your kind words

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    Mute Stevie Doran
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    May 30th 2018, 11:36 PM

    Should be in jail

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