Kevin Penrose praises Ronan McNamee for helping him return to football after coming out

Michael Bolton

When Tyrone footballer Kevin Penrose came out as gay, one of the challenges and worries he faced was how he would be accepted in the GAA community.

After travelling to Asia after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022, Penrose came out to his parents over a video call.

Spending so long struggling with his sexuality, the Tyrone man was now able to live his life more freely, but did wonder how, and if he could return to the GAA.

While those around him were unaware, the culture in dressing rooms and on the pitch was not a pleasant experience.

"It's the time when you're finding yourself anyway, as a teenager, you're not really knowing what's going on.

"You're sort of, 'Okay. I need to stand out here to fit in, to be liked.' You just hear the words being thrown around the changing room or on the pitch, and it sort of makes you go back into yourself.

"Like, for me, I could be in the corner of the changing room thinking, 'Okay, I can't act this way, or talk about this, or I have to get involved in this banter, per se, to fit in.'"

One person who was crucial to his return was All-Ireland winner Ronan McNamee, who reached out to him to return to his club Aghyaran.

A close friend as well as a teammate, Penrose says McNamee's influence was "massive" to him returning.

"It's massive, you know. We've grown up together. We played under age together, went to the same schools, you know. We always were quite close in that way, you know.

"You know, Ronan is very straight to the point, just tell you how it is, which I think is what you need in that moment.

"But to have...like, it's your senior county player as well, to come and have those talks with you, it's encouraging. It sort of again, goes back to setting an example.

"If your ally and advocate is Ronan McNamee, you're off to a good start. It just shows he's willing to take up that role, I guess, you know, and have the difficult conversation that someone else mightn't have the confidence to do.

"Having him just sort of nudge me slightly after a few conversations, you know, just reassure me like, 'No one's going to judge you, like you're very welcome here.

"It makes coming back to football that lot easier. And, of course, he is right in the end. I just walked into the first training session back, and it was just normal.

"You know, it's just like, 'Well done. Congrats on coming out. How are you going back into the scene? Now, let's get into the nitty gritty stuff.' You know? You leave that at the gate, then, once you do go back, and everyone's just there to play football."

Coming from a family of hugely successful footballers, Penrose now plays with a weight lifted off his shoulders.

The Aghyaran man admitted his playing struggles while he had not come out to anyone, and the toll it took on the pitch.

"I am not thinking about anything anymore. Back when I was still in the closet, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't make the senior team, for example.

"I was doing the training the same as everyone else, but I just wasn't getting the same opportunity. I just thought to myself, I am just not a good footballer, even though I knew I was a good footballer.

"Coming from a full-on GAA family, I grew up with from five years old. I knew I had the talent, I just couldn't really hit my potential; it was just a mental block.

"Now it has completely changed. I have pulled myself into that team, I have got my starting position, and making a real impact on the team. It is crazy to see the difference that one thing was holding me back."