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Sunday World
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
New book to explore the rise and fall of disgraced Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey
'The Dodger: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal' by Eimear Ní Bhraonáin will be released in October 2025 and is available to pre-order now Carlow journalist Eimear Ní Bhraonáin has officially announced the release of her new book about the disgraced former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey. The Dodger: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal has been described as a 'stunning exposé' of the extraordinary rise and fall of DJ Carey. Carey has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of defrauding a number of people out of money while pretending he had cancer and needed finances to obtain treatment. He is due to be sentenced in October of this year. As a journalist working on the ground in Kilkenny, Ms Ní Bhraonáin has be covering the DJ Carey story from the very start. "There was a time when DJ Carey didn't need a surname,' read the description of the book from the publishers, Merrion Press. 'The Dodger: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal' by Eimear Ní Bhraonáin is available to pre-order now. Photo: Merrion Press 'The star player of a Kilkenny hurling team that dominated the sport for a decade, he had a rare, natural talent that led his county to five All Ireland titles and won him nine All Stars. DJ wasn't just a hero on the pitch – his easy charm, generosity, and readiness to meet young fans made him a national treasure. "Throughout his meteoric rise, strange rumours followed him. In 2003, shocking claims that DJ was dying of cancer swept the country. Who would spread such a story about one of Ireland's most beloved sporting legends? And what could possibly be gained from it? "Two decades later, the truth emerged. DJ Carey was arrested and charged with deception and forgery – accused of faking cancer to con money from those who trusted him most. For years, he had been telling the same lie to generous supporters who believed they were funding life-saving treatment in the U.S. "In this riveting exposé, Eimear Ní Bhraonáin uncovers the extraordinary fall from grace of a national icon, and how he betrayed the fans that once loved him.' The Dodger: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal is available to pre-order now from your local bookshop with the book due to be officially released in October 2025.
Irish Times
02-08-2025
- Irish Times
Unbroken: Secrets, Lies and Enduring Love - a couple's riveting account through the UK justice system
Unbroken: Secrets, Lies and Enduring Love Author : Mary Attenborough & Michael Gallagher ISBN-13 : 9781785375606 Publisher : Merrion Press Guideline Price : €18.99 The press release says the lives of Mary Attenborough and Michael Gallagher were 'upended' in 1996, but this is an understatement of epic proportions. At about 4am on October 28th, there was a 'deafening thump', the sound of 'steel banging on steel' and a roar of 'armed police' as their London flat was raided. Mary struggled to hide her nakedness and prayed they wouldn't shoot. Michael is hauled away, handcuffed under a shroud and read his rights under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. This riveting account of the fallout from the night is written by the couple themselves and the narrative alternates between their two voices, so we see the raid through Michael's eyes and then Mary's. She asks to see a warrant and is warned to keep her head down before being told the police are 'investigating IRA activity relating to your boyfriend'. Michael's account seems slightly calmer than Mary's at this point. READ MORE Mary is questioned about money and whether Michael is upset that she, a mathematician and software engineer, is the main breadwinner. The fact they've just scraped together enough to buy a cottage in Ireland adds to the suspicion. She is shown the main evidence against her partner, a picture showing him with the keys outside a warehouse where traces of the constituents of Semtex have been discovered. It is later revealed the flat had been bugged and mentions of the IRA had been recorded. There is also an incident where he avoided surveillance in a seemingly accomplished manner. He is accused of taking part in 'mortar attacks on Heathrow Airport in March 1994'. [ Local history: Six books that lift the lid on times past Opens in new window ] The book follows Michael's path through the British justice system, while Mary on the outside works to prove his innocence. Michael eventually gets bail of £250,000 (€288,559), guaranteed by friends and relatives, but this is revoked when a witness appears to change their statement. At trial, all the evidence against Michael – the warehouse key, the fibres within, the flat recordings, and even his alleged training – is convincingly countered, before the verdict is delivered. A revelation that was hard to see coming unless you had some previous familiarity with the case turns the whole chain of events on its head and puts their relationship to the test but you'll already be convinced that the bond between these two people can survive anything.
Irish Daily Mirror
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
DJ Carey brought to book - 'riveting exposé' on hurling star out later this year
DJ Carey is being brought to book amid the scandal of his admission to fraud and fake cancer claims. Merrion Press has announced that it will be publishing 'The Dodger', written by former KCLR presenter Eimear Ní Bhraonáin, in October, with Carey due to be sentenced on the 29th of that month after admitting to defrauding a number of people while pretending that he had cancer. The 54-year-old has been remanded on continuing bail until his sentencing though did not attend the All-Ireland hurling final earlier this month when the 2000 Kilkenny team, of which he was a key member, was honoured. His name was met with jeers from sections of the Croke Park crowd when it was called out, however. The title is a play on the nickname that Carey originally acquired as a player and a description of the book from the publishers says that it is a 'riveting exposé'. The cover of the upcoming book on DJ Carey. (Image: Merrion Press) It adds: 'DJ wasn't just a hero on the pitch – his easy charm, generosity, and readiness to meet young fans made him a national treasure. 'Throughout his meteoric rise, strange rumours followed him. In 2003, shocking claims that DJ was dying of cancer swept the country. Who would spread such a story about one of Ireland's most beloved sporting legends? And what could possibly be gained from it? 'Two decades later, the truth emerged. DJ Carey was arrested and charged with deception and forgery – accused of faking cancer to con money from those who trusted him most. For years, he had been telling the same lie to generous supporters who believed they were funding life-saving treatment in the US. 'In this riveting exposé, Eimear Ní Bhraonáin uncovers the extraordinary fall from grace of a national icon, and how he betrayed the fans that once loved him.' The book is clearly aimed at the lucrative Christmas market though with it set to be released ahead of Carey's sentencing, an updated version will likely be published in the aftermath.
Irish Times
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
A Year in the Woods; An Irishman in Northern Mesopotamia; and The Papers of Maurice FitzGerald
A Year in the Woods: Montalto through the Seasons by Paul Clements (Merrion Press,) The year 1992, the last days of summer, and Paul Clements and his wife move into a rented cottage in the woods of the Montalto estate, near Ballynahinch in Co Down. The move is intended to be temporary, but a year later they are still there: laying down memories of quiet rural living, absorbing the lessons of place, and observing the natural world into which they are now folded, and with which they come to feel a profound connection. This bewitching book – finely produced by Merrion Press – is the result of this unexpectedly lengthy sojourn: Clements is deeply sensitive to the effects of the changing seasons, and aware of the other creatures who share this space – and he renders his experiences in stirring and beautiful prose. – Neil Hegarty An Irishman in Northern Mesopotamia by Nicholas Mackey (Unicorn, £25) Northern Mesopotamia stands between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers in what is now southeast Türkiye – the Turkish government changed the country's spelling to Türkiye in 2021. The author's journey through a distinctive part of west Asia embraces many aspects of history with an exploration of ancient wonders in 'the cradle of civilisation'. His book also reflects cultural life, the food, and colourful descriptions of local bazaars. As a young boy growing up in Ireland, Mackey read about the region, which lit a fire within him, leaving a deep impression. This forms part of a wider story, recalling a tour of the region based on his journal. The writings of explorers Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, as well as the historian Herodotus, are all invoked. – Paul Clements READ MORE The Papers of Maurice FitzGerald, 18th Knight of Kerry by Adrian FitzGerald (Kingdom Books, 2 vols, €50) This collection of the papers of Maurice FitzGerald, 18th Knight of Kerry, has been prepared by his descendant Adrian FitzGerald, and is published in a boxed set of two volumes. Maurice FitzGerald (1774–1845) represented Kerry constituencies in the Irish House of Commons before the Act of Union of 1800 and afterwards in Westminster. He supported the union, but on the understanding that it would be accompanied by measures of Catholic relief. When such measures were not immediately introduced, he became disillusioned and increasingly absented himself from parliament. Catholic Emancipation was not granted until 1829. FitzGerald later opposed O'Connell's movement for repeal of the union. – Felix M Larkin
