Donal Óg Cusack

Cited as one of the most influential Irish Sports People of his generation, through his championing of the cause of player welfare with Cork, his leadership of the Gaelic Players Association and his innovation as a goalkeeper. Donal Óg is regarded as one of the great hurling goalkeepers winning honours at all levels of the sport including 5 Munster titles, 3 All Irelands Titles and 2 All-stars at Senior level. He is a Senior Engineering Manager with an American Multinational Healthcare Company, works as a TV hurling analyst with the flagship sports program The Sunday Game and is current President of the Gaelic Players Association who represent 4,000 past and present male and female intercounty players.

Top Sporting Achievemens

Donal made 54 championship appearances for Cork, more than any other goalkeeper in Ireland’s history.  He has proved himself a “doughty and tenacious” competitor through his time in the sport, and has won three All-Ireland medals, five Munster medals and two All-Star awards

Activism

Donal  has also been a public advocate for wellness and LGBT causes and led powerful campaigning for marriage equality and gay rights.  He is seen as a role model in an Irish sporting culture unused to addressing sexuality and mental health issues. His activism goes beyond just paying lip service to gay equality in Ireland. Donal appears on TV, attends rallies, and has even travelled abroad to the US, where he met with Jason Collins, and Russia where he confronted homophobic politicians.  Cusack has long been a passionate advocate of players’ rights, he was to the forefront of a series of panel strikes in Cork, and he was a prime mover behind the growth of the GPA from a small outsider body to official GAA recognition.

 Corporate Speaking

Donal has much experience in motivational corporate speaking, including sharing some of the secrets of how the lessons of sport can translate into success in other areas of life.  He has worked for US Multinational Johnson and Johnson in Cork for 15 years, running projects around win energy at their sites that have brought him to a position of respect and influence within the global organisation.

Topics
As a sports professional and internationally renowned GAA star, Dónal Óg Cusack is well-versed in the many areas such as:

Leadership
Sports and Coaching
Careers in Media
Business Management.
Diversity & Inclusion.

Testimonials
“Donal Og was absolutely amazing. He blew us all away. He was so honest and humble, yet he delivered such a powerful speech. I think he really made a difference to a lot of people, myself included. Thank you.” – Boston Scientific, Clonmel

“We can’t speak highly enough of Donal Og. Everyone really enjoyed his story and rapport with all the team here.” – Kerry Group