'You think that these people are immortal, but they are human beings'

HIS PHD STUDIES ON mental health and wellbeing and psychology on sport might have taken Galway hurler Conor Whelan around the world, but it was inspired by something much closer to home.

His first cousin, Niall Donohue played in the 2012 All Ireland hurling final against replay, which Galway lost to Kilkenny. The following year, just two days short of his 23rd birthday, he took his own life.

A deep desire to understand the human condition led him to undertake a PhD research doctorate at ATU Galway. He has found himself researching some astonishing and alarming figures around the strain involved in intercounty players trying to balance studies and their sporting commitments.

“I think I have been very fortunate in terms of, I have played for Galway for ten years and the game has given me so much. So much that I would like to do something in that space for players because I think it is something that is wanted,” he explains.

“It’s mostly based around the mental health and wellbeing of athletes. Traditionally, students at third-level, one in three experience mental health symptoms on average.

“When you are a high-performing athlete, that goes to one in two.

“I suppose it’s awareness around it and trying to develop a wellbeing programme for elite athletes, to educate them around mental literacy, pathways towards obtaining mental health support.”

He points to two other hurlers he is close to. Clare’s Shane O’Donnell is a second cousin and Limerick’s Cian Lynch became a close friend when they studied together in Mary Immaculate College.

Galway’s Conor Whelan and Limerick’s Cian Lynch.

“You think that these people are immortal,” he says, “but in reality they are human beings and if you were to chat to Shane or Cian I am sure they would tell you that they have experienced as many lows as highs.

“So it’s around supporting athletes. I think particularly, managing demands of the modern game, that’s definitely a huge challenge, and providing support to allow athletes to perform at the top of their game.

“It’s trying to make sure it is not detrimental to their mental health.”

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While that figure of one in two elite athletes suffering from poor mental health problems is alarming, he is encouraged by the support he receives from the Gaelic Player’s Association in helping him conduct surveys and research.

“We all want the same thing. The GPA want it, the GAA want it. It’s about trying to work with players and operate something like that is a challenge,” he says.

“It has to be mandatory. We have anti-doping, we have cardiac screening. We do our baseline concussion tests and all that, but there has never been anything around mental health and I find that very surprising to be honest.”

He adds, “I suppose it is an unique cohort because you are amateur by status, but you’re training to very high levels that would correlate to professional levels but not getting the same academic flexibility or entitlements in college.

“So you are running two careers at the same time so chances of burnout are going to be high.”

He points to two key areas of study; that the male brain does not finish developing until around the late 20’s, and the trap many have of ‘identity foreclosure’ whereby the person identifies themselves purely in their role within a sporting context.

“The male brain doesn’t finish developing until around the age of 28, 29. So when you are older, 25 and 26 and settled, I think it might be a bit easier than when you are coming through at the age of 18, 19 and you are trying to find your way on an intercounty panel,” says Whelan.

“Maybe you are a star at age 19 and you are trying to see where your career is going outside the sport. I think identity foreclosure, those athletes putting everything into the elite GAA bracket and having nothing outside that, will lead to challenges down the line.

“If you have identity foreclosure where to the point you just identify as an athlete and things aren’t going well for you, that would be very challenging and I think that’s more prevalent among younger people.”

Whelan has spent significant chunks of the last two years travelling and gaining a wider understanding of the world.

“It helps you to understand that there is a lot more going on in the world than hurling. It’s not the be-all and end-all; not that I ever felt it was,” he said.

Over the winter he headed off to Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

While in Australia, he called into the Geelong Cats AFL club’s facilities. They are one of the market leaders in looking after the mental health and wellbeing of their players and he was able to get under the skin of their various programmes.

He met with their growing Irish contingent of Zach Tuohy, Mark O’Connor and Oisin Mullin and later hung out with a group of hometown and old school friends in Sydney, before proceeding to New Zealand and onto Japan.

Just 27 now, the Kinvara forward is in his tenth year playing senior hurling for the Tribesmen. He made his debut under Anthony Cunningham when he was thrown in at the deep end for an All Ireland quarter-final against Cork in Semple Stadium when he rattled in 1-2.

Conor Whelan scores a goal in the 2015 All-Ireland quarter-final against Cork.

He retained his place and scored 0-2 in both the semi-final against Tipperary, and the final defeat to Kilkenny.

Two years later, he was an All-Ireland champion when they beat Waterford in the decider, Whelan picking up the Young Hurler of the Year and an All Star into the bargain. He collected his second for a series of serious performances last year.

Does he feel at his peak now?

“I dunno. I wouldn’t read into it too much,” he says modestly.

“Am I enjoying my hurling? I definitely am. I think Covid, there were stages of that when I felt really good as well.

“I think a lot of it comes down to momentum and getting a run of games and it is going well as a team.

“If you look at Galway, we have had performances where we haven’t been really to get the level of consistency we wanted to among a couple of games. But I have been enjoying my hurling.”

This Sunday their summer trail starts again in Pearse Stadium, when they have Carlow for an opener in the Leinster championship.

Last year they looked home and hosed with manager Henry Shefflin boxing off his first major honour as manager – against his own county of Kilkenny – when they led by two points in the 75th minute, before substitute Cillian Buckley unloaded a shot into the only unguarded spot of the Galway goal.

“Kilkenny have been the standard-bearers for the last few years and we came up close but ultimately we came up short,” states Whelan.

“We have to focus to navigate the round robin now, get to a final and getting it across the line. That’s all you can aspire to really.”