Kevin Penrose now thriving in the GAA world and beyond after coming out as gay
Kevin Penrose (29) is a content creator, a footballer and an openly gay man. He plays for his childhood club Aghyaran in Tyrone, despite now living in Meath.
When asked why he doesn't make his life easier and transfer somewhere nearby, Penrose stated: "It keeps me in the loop with everyone back home. I always get the question would I not just transfer to a club down near here, and I'm just like 'no I can't do it'".
Speaking at the launch of SuperValu's new limited edition Pride themed Bag for Life, he continued: "I feel like I owe it to myself, my younger self to see it through now for the next coupe of years till retirement. The lads on the team, these are the people I grew up with."
When he dropped out of sport after moving abroad for university he lost connection with his club but now that he's back, he's landed on his feet.
"You walk into that changing room or on to that pitch with your head held high and you know that you're walking into a group of lads who fully support you for yourself," he added.
"I need to stand out here, to fit in to be liked"
Penrose grew up playing football, but struggled during his teenage years with his identity and sexuality.
Without a role model to look up to he became confused and anxious blaming football for these negative thoughts.
"Growing up for myself, I didn't have a role model who I saw myself in within that GAA culture and community and I think that's the reason I didn't know how to navigate that time in my life."
The environment in the changing rooms and on the pitch led Penrose to think that he couldn't be himself
"I need to stand out here, to fit in to be liked," he remarked.
"You hear the words being thrown around the changing room or on the pitch and it sort of makes you go back into yourself and for me it could be, in the corridor or the changing room thinking okay I can't act this way or talk about this or I have to get involved in this 'banter' per say to fit in."
Penrose's conflicting thoughts lead to a mental block on the pitch and resulted in him feeling he couldn't reach his potential. When the opportunity to travel arose he took it so he could escape the feelings he was having on the pitch.
"I associated Gaelic football and that environment with how I was feeling at that time, of being scared, not wanting to come out, just a build-up of thoughts in my mind of everything that could go wrong."
He soon realised however, the anxious confusing thoughts he was having was nothing to do with Gaelic football and everything to do with who he was deep down.
"I began realising that Gaelic football wasn't the problem; it was myself and coming to terms with the fact I was gay."
Three years ago when Penrose came out to his family and friends he was nervous about what his teammates would think. Those fears were soon set aside when Tyrone county player Ronan McNamee (below) reached out to him.
"To have a senior county player come and have those talks with you, it's encouraging, it's setting an example if your ally and advocate is Ronan McNamee. You're off to a great start.
He's willing to take up that role and have that difficult conversation that someone mightn't have the confidence to do - having him nudge me slightly after a few conversations, just reassuring me that no one is going to judge me, that I'm very welcome here makes coming back to football that bit easier."
Since his return, Penrose has noticed a culture shift amongst his team-mates, coaches and support staff. "Everyone's just there to play football," is now the positive summation.
The environment is one where he can embrace who he truly is and instead of worry about what others think of him, he's able to put all all his focus into the sport, where he's found the love again and he's making a real impact.
Another place he's making a real impact is as a role model and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community within the GAA. Penrose has been open about his own experience growing up in the GAA as a closeted gay teenager.
"Talking about it so openly and freely can really inspire and encourage other people even if it's somebody struggling with their sexuality, or if it's a football manager really wanting to get involved but not knowing how, you know it's going to help a lot of people I think."
When asked about how the GAA can become a better ally to the community, he stated: "It comes back to ourselves within the changing rooms, the managers, the backroom, the volunteers. I think it starts with that and then that's the ripple effect to show if one club can do it why can't every other club do it for everyone else."
He encourages people to be curious, educate themselves and spread awareness. "Use the resources online, BelongTo has so much information on there on allyship, on how to have a normal conversation, it doesn't have to be about being gay, just how's it going and that lays the ground work to have those deeper meaningful conversations down the line.
"Being open and transparent, if someone says something unintentional in the corridor without knowing its harmful, I need to be comfortable enough to call them out."
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There were only six more meetings over the subsequent 62 years and Tipperary won them all, including the All-Ireland of 1958, which was Galway's last final appearance until 1975, by which time the Premier had waned as a force in Munster. They also met in the 1961 Munster semi-final after what proved Galway's only victory (over Clare) in a decade-long relocation to the province. Leinster has proved a relatively happier hunting ground. If the Ulster hurling championship gets going again maybe they could make a guest appearance and complete the set? Galway had re-emerged as a force by the middle of the next decade and contested three All-Ireland finals in a row from 1979-81, bridging a 67-year gap in 1980, when the West was awoken. Tipp native Micheal 'Babs' Keating had been Galway coach to Farrell's trainer in '79 but was not part of the victorious setup the following year. The men in maroon were again runners-up in 1985-86, to Offaly and Cork, and were waiting hungrily after Tipperary captain Richie Stakelum declared 'The famine is over' in Babs' first championship season in '87. It was in Munster anyway. But though Nicky English scored the first point just nine seconds into the All-Ireland semi-final, Galway immediately hit back with a goal from Martin Naughton and led by four at half-time. Two majors from Pat Fox had Tipp ahead going into the closing stages but, following a contentiously disallowed English point, a goal from Éanna Ryan put Galway back in front and Noel Lane sealed the 3-20 to 2-17 victory. It was third time lucky on the big day as Galway beat Kilkenny by six, Lane again finding the net, and they defeated Offaly in the '88 semi-finals to seal a fourth consecutive final appearance. Their opponents were Tipp, playing their first final since 1971. Defences dominated this time, English and Fox being kept quiet as Galway edged it 1-15 to 0-14, and Lane scoring the sole goal in the final for the second year in a row. It remains the only time Galway have gone back to back. Closing stages of the 1988 All-Ireland Hurling final The rivalry had now been firmly rekindled. Babs felt his team had been roughed up in the final and publicly questioned Galway's tactics. Farrell bristled back. They met again in front of over 35,000 at Croke Park in the 1989 league final that April, Galway maintaining their superiority on a 2-16 to 4-08 scoreline. In Munster, the Premier then made it three in a row against surprise finalists Waterford but controversy overshadowed the All-Ireland semi-final rematch with the champions. The late Galway centre-back Tony Keady was the Hurler of the Year and had stayed on for a few weeks in New York after the All-Star tour in May. He played for the New York Laois club in a win over their Tipperary counterparts, and was reported and banned for two games in the Big Apple for playing under an assumed name - his brother Bernard's. When word reached Croke Park, however, the reigning Hurler of the Year was hit with a 12-month suspension for playing without clearance. Galway were scandalised as it seemed Keady was being made a rare example of for a common practice. It later emerged that Tipp defender Paul Delaney had done the same thing but escaped a ban. Farrell threatened to boycott the game if the ban wasn't lifted but the GAA's management committee voted 20-18 to uphold the decision, Tipperary's delegate voting in Keady's favour but some of Galway's Connacht neighbours opted to maintain the suspension. Keating described the subsequent match as "a nasty affair". Despite Keady's replacement Sean Tracey having a fine game, Galway were too fired up and referee John Denton sent off Sylvie Linnane and Michael 'Hopper' McGrath while John Leahy got away with a pull across Pete Finnerty, later admitting: "I was very lucky to stay on the field. I suppose the two of us bent the rules a small bit in our time. They were hard games." Finnerty reflected: "Nobody ever told John Leahy I didn't have a sister. Nowadays he might have been able to google it and find out' Tipp won 1-17 to 2-11, Éanna Ryan scoring both Galway goals but English hitting eight points. The Premier had 18 points to spare on Antrim in the final. There were further semi-final meetings in '91 and '93, Tipperary handing out a hammering on the way to regaining Liam MacCarthy in the former and a much-changed Galway getting revenge two years later. Then a seven-year gap to a first quarter-final and renewal of final hostilities in 2001: Tipp, managed by English, ended a 43-year wait for a final win against the Westerners, Mark O'Leary (2-01) and Eoin Kelly scoring seven apiece as they won 2-18 to 2-15, surviving a late, disallowed Kevin Broderick goal. There was only a point between them in 2003 (Tipperary), two in 2005 (Galway) and one again in the 2010 quarter-final when Tipperary went on to stop Kilkenny's five-in-a-row bid in the final after edging an electric contest 3-17 to 3-16. Tipperary did have nine to spare in a 2014 qualifier but that was only after a Seamus Callanan hat-trick spearheaded a late fightback from six down. Tipp were beaten by the Cats in a final replay. The next three years saw three classic All-Ireland semi-finals, each decided by a single point. Substitute Shane Maloney won it for Galway with his first touch in 2015, taking a Joe Canning pass to make it 0-26 to 3-16, Callanan scoring 3-09 for the losers. Anthony Cunningham's men lost the final to Kilkenny by four points. In 2016, Canning went off injured at half-time but Galway still led on the hour, before John McGrath set up sub John 'Bubbles' O'Dwyer for a goal and scored one himself as Tipp edged it 2-19 to 2-18. They beat Kilkenny by nine. Here's the moment that decided ANOTHER #GALvTIPP classic! Joe Canning's late point sent @Galway_GAA into the 2017 All-Ireland Hurling Final! — The GAA (@officialgaa) August 6, 2017 The following year was decided by a Canning wonder point (his 11th) five minutes into injury-time, Galway winning 0-22 to 1-18. They bridged a 29-year gap to All-Ireland glory in the final against Waterford. Galway have won both subsequent championship meetings. A quarter-final in 2020 – Aidan Harte the unlikely late goalscoring hero after reigning champions Tipperary had had Cathal Barrett sent off – and another in 2023, when the Tribesmen were on top throughout but had to survive a late scare to win by two points after hitting 18 wides. Their respective provincial displays to date make Tipperary favourites today but history tells us Galway will always raise their game at the sight of the blue and gold jersey.
