Tyrone goalie opens up about battle with mental health

ONE of Tyrone’s most popular GAA stars has spoken out about the importance of mental health.

Red Hand goalkeeper and schoolteacher, Niall Morgan, told a podcast of how he had learned many valuable lessons about mental health during his career, not least on his Ulster Championship debut against Donegal in 2013.

“I was very temperamental and I look back on my debut for Tyrone in 2013 and how I fell apart mentally. How I am now is so far from that,” he said during an interview with ‘The Weekly Wheatley’ podcast.

“In secondary school I began to realise the importance of mental health and the importance of looking out for other players and how they were feeling.

“It’s something that I have struggled with myself in the past. I worked with a man called Fran from the GPA I was put in touch with to help me deal with my own struggles. And I’m not afraid to say that.

“I’ve said this to many of the younger lads, I’m a teacher and I’ve spoken about it to pupils in my class.

“I’m teaching ten-year-olds and they’re sort of looking at me going ‘he’s talking to a psychologist, he must be mental’.

“Because there is that stigma with it and there really shouldn’t be as Fran was absolutely unbelievable.

“He gave me the simplest tips that I have passed on to so many different people.”

The Tyrone number one, who also played for Dungannon Swifts football club, said nobody should be afraid to speak out, but it’s probably about finding somebody to take it seriously.

“Because sometimes you’ll be talking to somebody and they’ll say ‘oh you’ll be alright’ but sometimes you’re not alright and you do need a proper conversation.

“It’s so important to seek out the right person and I would hope that anybody on the Tyrone team would feel that I’m the person who is approachable enough to do that.

“I would have absolutely no issue talking to anybody about anything.”

Niall also said it is too easy for people to hide their true emotions on social media, especially GAA players, but all that it takes is to ‘reach out to someone.’