'Cork hurling is much more than just a game — it helped me bond with my dad’

As his father faces motor neurone disease, James O'Sullivan reflects on Cork hurling, memory, masculinity, and the love passed down through sport

James O'Sullivan, his father John, brother Jonathan (back), and nephew Matthew in Gill's Cornerhouse before last year's All-Ireland final

Last summer, my father was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a progressive neurological condition that damages the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, atrophy, and eventually paralysis.

It is a rare and incurable disease, well-known here in Ireland as the cause of Charlie Bird’s passing. The average survival rate is typically two to five years from the onset of symptoms. Although some people live longer, many go far more quickly.