What has the impact of DJ Carey’s crimes been on the people he tricked out of money to fund non-existent cancer care?
The former All Ireland winning hurler was sentenced on Monday to five and a half years in prison, with the Judge telling him he could not imagine a more 'reprehensible fraud'.
Over a period of several years, Carey approached many people, sadly informing them that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
He said he was receiving treatment in the United States but needed money to pay for it. People dug deep into their pockets to help their hurling hero - but it was all a lie.
On The Pat Kenny Show, journalist Eimear Ní Bhraonáin, author of The Dodger: DJ Carey And The Great Betrayal, said his lies had a huge impact on those he stole from.
One of the victims was businessman Dennis O’Brien, while others had significantly less money to spare.
Ms Ní Bhraonáin noted that he extracted a “lot of money” from Thomas Butler, a man with a lot less money than the billionaire Mr O’Brien.
“What he did to Thomas Butler was heartless,” she said.
“He said to him, ‘You are my special friend, you are my only friend in the world.’
“He reeled him in and that man was about to retire, he worked all his life and he adored DJ Carey.
“I’m sorry to be a little bit emotional about it; I don’t want to be.”
Thomas Butler. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell / © RollingNews.ieAnother victim was Mag Kirwan, who thought she was helping someone who, like herself, had the misfortune to be ill with a terrible disease.
“She’s going through multiple myeloma,” Ms Ní Bhraonáin added.
“I know Mag Kirwan, I knew her before DJ Carey targeted her.
“She is a formidable business person, she’s a good person.
“And can you imagine how difficult it is for people like Mag Kirwan to confirm when Gardaí came knocking and asking them to make statements that she had been duped by the great DJ Carey?
“This is very difficult for the victims and there’s such a focus on DJ.
“What about the people he targeted? Including someone with multiple myeloma?
DJ Carey leaving Blanchardstown District Court. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins.Growing up, all who knew him said Carey was an “incredible” hurler and the sport quickly became his “religion”.
His fame on the pitch meant he was thrown into the celebrity world but the amateur nature of the GAA meant he didn’t have the cash to compete with the men he was rubbing shoulders with.
“At one stage, he was invited to lunch with Tiger Woods,” Ms Ní Bhraonáin said.
“The invite came from JP McManus; he was thrust into a world of money, of celebrity.
“Away from the simple pleasures of village life.”
DJ Carey arriving at the Criminal Courts of Justice. Photograph: RollingNews.ieLooking through old interviews with Carey, it became apparent that money was an enduring obsession in his life.
There were also rumours of illness flying about the case.
“The first reported mention of a cancer rumour was written in the Sunday Times by a sports journalist called Dennis Walsh,” Ms Ní Bhraonáin said.
“I’ve spoken to Dennis because his questions were really crucial to my work.
“He put it to DJ in 2003, why would people say this about you?”
Carey said he believed it was because he was spotted outside an oncology ward in Waterford Hospital, waiting for a scan for stomach pains.
One person who encountered Carey during his period of offending was Pat Kenny, who bumped into him at a Bruce Springsteen concert in 2012.
“He pointed out to Kathy and myself, these lines painted on his head,” Pat said.
“They were straight lines, red and blue, and these were indicative of some sort of radiation treatment - or whatever.
“We thought that’s tough on DJ if he’s having this treatment but thought no more of it then, until we heard more stories.”
Now behind bars, Ms Ní Bhraonáin said while people will remember his scores for the Cats for years to come, for a great many Kilkenny fans, his legacy will always be “tainted” by his web of lies and deceit.
Main image: DJ Carey and Thomas Butler. Pictures by: Alamy.com and RollingNews.ie.
