Michael Fennelly: 'If you don't go through pain yourself, it's hard to relate to someone who has it'

'I wasn't aware there were so many people out there with it who were struggling.'

Michael Fennelly, eight times All-Ireland winner with Kilkenny and current Offaly hurling manager, shares his story of living with ankylosing spondylitis, as part of a new awareness campaign from Arthritis Ireland. Picture: Stephen Lee

For many years, former Kilkenny hurler and eight-time All-Ireland winner, Michael Fennelly kept the fact that he was playing with a painful inflammatory disease to himself.

The current Offaly hurling manager was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) - a form of arthritis - when he was just 20 years old.