When undertaking debates regarding Kyle Hayes, it could be beneficial for all parties to adopt a neutral stance in line with the songstress Mary J Blige’s approach and keep their personal issues separate. The issue of Hayes’ guilt has been thoroughly examined and settled in court. Hayes was found guilty of violent disorder and received a suspended sentence of two years imprisonment. In addition to this, he was instructed to pay his victim a compensation amount of €10,000. It’s completely acceptable for anyone to express their individual perceptions regarding the justice or injustice of the sentence and the desired punishment. However, it is advisable to put aside biases first.
In certain ways, it is only common for fans of the Limerick team to harbour the desire to support their representative. This is particularly true in a year like this where they are accumulating their energy for a try at what could potentially be the first quintuple sequence in hurling’s history. If they didn’t feel compelled to transform the entire scenario into an instrument for their purposes, employing a full-on maligned perspective, it wouldn’t qualify as a sport. However, they must abstain from this inclination for countless reasons.
Primarily, this condition doesn’t have many commonalities in global sport, let alone within the small bubble of the GAA. The situation where one of the most skilled players in the top team is nearly imprisoned before the commencement of the grandest tournament of the year is not an insignificant detail. The moment you begin to perceive the case through a sporting viewpoint, you’re directly downplaying its seriousness.
Limerick supporters who seek to downplay, belittle, or divert attention from the issue with the intention of defending their county’s dignity will only contribute to further tarnishing it. Nothing would faster devalue the remarkable accomplishments of this prominent team than a blinkered quest to protect Kyle Hayes or reduce the whole narrative to a young man’s oversight.
Equally importantly, Cillian McCarthy deserves to be recognised as a true son of Limerick as much as anyone else. McCarthy, a former hurling and five-a-side football player, gave a victim impact statement to the court in January, expressing that he has been unable to return to any sporting activities since the 2019 assault that led to Hayes’ conviction. With online abuse and the personal feeling of being known as “the person who was attacked”, the circumstances have severely impacted him.
If you’re a fan of Limerick hurling, Cillian McCarthy is a name you should bear in mind. That doesn’t mean you can’t express support for Kyle Hayes but if such support doesn’t make you feel somewhat conflicted, it becomes fair to question why. The court heard how Hayes chose to employ his leadership prowess to intimidate and assault Cillian McCarthy, whose only ‘crime’ was failing to display adequate submissiveness towards him.
“Recognise me?” Hayes bellowed at McCarthy. His meaning in October 2019 was clear—an affirmation of his identity as the renowned Limerick hurler Kyle Hayes. His implications extended to his status as an All-Ireland champion and reigning Young Hurler of the Year. He certainly wasn’t claiming to be the everyday man, Kyle Hayes.
Hayes’s high-profile athletic stature cannot be ignored within the context of this case, in which he powerfully leveraged his status as Limerick’s celebrated hurling figure for intimidation and ultimately violent assault of a displeased public member. You can cheer for that too, if you like.
However, there’s another side to the story, while Hayes’s fame as a hurler surely affected him avoiding a prison term, with the judge referencing it among the sentence’s mitigated factors. The case also garnered extensive media attention purely based on the parties involved. The news spread through various channels, from newspaper front pages to the Six One news, and numerous social media clips. Plainly put, Hayes’s fame as a hurler caused such wide attention. Plenty of townsfolk wouldn’t know Diarmaid Byrnes or Declan Hannon from the Archbishop of Uppsala, yet by now everyone recognises Kyle Hayes.
Sympathy for the victim is justified. You may consider the sentence light. However, it’s incontestable that Hayes has had to pay a price in this situation.
Generally, anyone else in the nation convicted of such a crime faces the usual consequence of a few paragraphs mention in the local daily. However, for Kyle Hayes, the circumstances were much more grievous, highlighted and criticised at a national level, a fact he will have to grapple with in his foreseeable future. This dismissal is not insignificant.
Furthermore, this label has to be worn throughout his hurling career. Unless an injury intervenes, Hayes is bound to participate in the match against Clare at Cusack Park in approximately four weeks. What reactions can be expected when his name is announced over the speakers on that Sunday afternoon in Ennis? Maybe protests, hoots, applause, possibly all. Upon what point shall the conversations around Hayes be about his hurling? Is it acceptable? Is it even possible?
[ John Kiely given character reference to Kyle Hayes, in no way indicating approval of his actions]
Apparently, Limerick wishes to mark an end to this episode and progress. However, this might not be as straightforward. At the Munster championship inauguration in Cahir, John Kiely, when speaking briefly to the GAA press, was quite controlled and open about the matter. Nevertheless, he incited further controversy by engaging in an intense conversation with Marty Morrissey regarding RTÉ’s way of dealing with the matter, ultimately resulting in denial of an interview despite numerous pleas.
While Kiely has full liberty to interact with whichever media platform he prefers, his argument with Marty Morrissey only gives the situation more traction.
The residual media organisations now have another chance to question Kiely on his issues with RTÉ and find out if this a solitary incident or something expected to persist throughout the summer, once again bringing us back to the starting point. This endless cycle has been caused by two incidents of violent disorder committed by Kyle Hayes approximately five years ago during a night out.
[ Kyle Hayes given green light for Limerick following a two-year suspended sentence]
To resolve this elegantly and without complications, it would be beneficial if all involved parties leave their respective situations aside and evaluate the case and judgment purely on their merits. However, sport doesn’t work on this simple principle.
We are aware that the perceptions of Hayes or Kiely or even Cillian McCarthy are likely influenced by personal involvements in Limerick hurlers’ success.
The stark reality of this situation sadly breeds despondence.