Chai Brady
Named a GAA All-Star this year, Tyrone man Niall Morgan has warned against the dangers of gambling and the challenges of raising children in a world where so many hazards are easily accessible, but that Faith can keep you on the right path.
Tyrone’s All-Ireland winning goalkeeper, who has two young children, said that it is “challenging” for the new generation who are not as “sheltered” from the world of drugs and gambling.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic the 33-year-old Edendork school principal said it’s important for kids to get outside and be active, not sit at home on screens, adding that some parents can be too “risk averse”.
While advocating for joining the local GAA club, he said there are some issues with gambling that must be addressed in some clubs, saying: “I worked in a bookies for five years when I was younger, as I was going through university, it’s just scary what you see happening on a day to day basis.
“Obviously there’s a few high-profile GAA players who have come out and spoke about their addictions. Sometimes when you’re so involved in sport, you nearly think you know how sport works, but you never know, and at the end of the day the bookies are always going to win – it’s just how much the win by. With gambling now on phones as well, you would be fearful of how easy it can take place,” he said.
“Going back to how accessible everything is now – people can now access whatever they want whenever they want to do it.”
Awareness
Mr Morgan is the co-chair of the Gaelic Players Association, who are raising awareness of these issues and trying to help people that have difficulties.
He said: “I know there are some clubs even in Tyrone where there would be issues, you hope it’s not in your own club. Knowing the likes of myself is against it, they would stay clear of you. I think it’s just a worrying time in general for the new generation, everything is just so easily accessible, it’s scary. Looking at my own children I wonder what is it going to be like in 10-15 years? If everything like it is now and it’s only going to get more progressive, how dangerous is the world going to be?
“When I was growing up you nearly felt sheltered from all of that, maybe it was out there and you just didn’t realise. You just hope that people see the good in things and they try to keep themselves on the right path.”
I think it’s important to speak about it because one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, which is a huge chance, and people would not really realise it”
Faith has always been part of Mr Morgan’s life. Before their first child his wife lost two children to miscarriage, which was a “huge test of Faith, because you’re thinking, ‘why us?’”
“At that stage you almost thought that you were the only one because people did not really talk about it, I think it’s important to speak about it because one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, which is a huge chance, and people would not really realise it,” said Mr Morgan.
“We had a priest in our parish when I was younger… and he always said it was good to question your Faith, because it is only at the times you question your faith that you realise what you’ve actually got. It is good to ask yourself ‘what do I have Faith in and why do I have faith?’
Advised
He advised people to “remember everybody has a reason to be here and there is a plan for everybody, just have faith in that journey and know that there is love there and there is someone in this world that you are making the world better for”.
“Trust that process and have that Faith… for some it takes that little bit longer to find that purpose and some of us have tougher periods than others, but we all face our battles at different times and in different ways – have that strength to perceiver and push through, know that there will be help there and you will get through it in the end.”
Despite Tyrone not reaching the All-Ireland quarter finals, Mr Morgan was one of the 15 selected as 2024 PwC GAA/GPA Football Allstars last week due to his exceptional performance.
He added that he does not pray to God to fix things, saying “I feel that God presents himself in different ways and through different channels, and it could be through the smallest bit of advice that you get from someone at a time that you don’t expect it, or it could be when whenever you ask a tough question to somebody and they tell you something you don’t want to hear, that’s where my Faith presents itself”.