TV & RadioReview

DJ Carey – The Dodger RTÉ One review: Riveting portrait of a flawed Kilkenny hurling hero

The first of this two-part documentary depicts the GAA legend who had the world at his feet, but seemed to hunger for a lifestyle worthy of his stardom

The jailing in November of former All-Ireland-winning hurler DJ Carey for fake cancer claims was the surreal culmination of a story that played out like a sort of Hibernian Great Gatsby – a morality fable that drilled deep into the Irish soul and which brimmed with tragedy and absurdity.

That bizarre tale is now told in the comprehensively and perfectly pitched two-part documentary DJ Carey: The Dodger (RTÉ One, 9.35pm). It tracks Carey’s ascent to hurling immortality as a star Kilkenny corner forward and his bizarre second life as a fraudster who inveigled thousands of euros out of people who had admired his prowess on the pitch.

His victims included millionaires such as Denis O’Brien but also ordinary people, including accountant Thomas Butler. “I gave €17,000 away to a stranger without checking anything,” says Butler, early in the first of two episodes. “It’s embarrassing.”

As anyone who saw him in his pomp will tell you, Carey was a supreme stylist. Yet he was never quite the complete package: a great, but not the GOAT, as the terminology goes nowadays.

When he was on fire, he was unstoppable. However, he could go missing in games – drift in and out in a way that was uncharacteristic of Kilkenny or its heavy metal, “This is Sparta!” philosophy towards hurling. Even in the white heat of battle, he was a man with troubles on his mind. The suggestion made in this comprehensive documentary was that those distractions often had to do with money.

[ Former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey jailed for 5½ years for ‘reprehensible fraud’Opens in new window ]

Carey experienced all the downsides of fame – the prurience about his private life, the responsibilities he felt towards fans and fellow athletes. But there were none of the upsides. He was, for a few years, the greatest player in the greatest sport in the world. Yet he was never going to get rich out of hurling. The implication here is that this gnawed at him.