Dubliner representing Ireland says ‘life I have today is a far cry from the one I had two years ago’
Brendan got clean and changed his life with the help of Merchants Quay Ireland and the support of his family.
“Two years ago, I was homeless,” he said. “I had been living on the streets, in doorways on O’Connell Street and up the laneways.
“Then I ended up living in a tent in Tallaght, in the middle of a field, crying myself to sleep at night. I was physically and mentally broken. Anything, no matter what I did, was going to be a lot better.”
He had tried many times to become drug-free, but said the last time was different.
“I used to pray to my brother who died, ‘please just get me, just take me’,” he said.
“One night, my two sisters came looking for me with torches. They brought me home to their house and got me into treatment. That was the start of my recovery journey, and I haven’t looked back.”
A spokesperson for Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) said for many people who are homeless, “addiction isn’t very far away”.
“Sometimes addiction is what brings people into homelessness. For others, the trauma of being homeless can send them into a downward spiral,” they added.
“This can result in a rapid decline in mental health, which in turn can lead to taking drugs to be able to cope, or in some cases to be able to sleep.”
After completing MQI’s Aftercare Service, Brendan reignited his love of football and joined the Irish Homeless Street Leagues.
The organisation uses the power of sport to transform the lives of individuals from underprivileged, poorly educated, socially excluded, and conflicted communities.
“I think I started that last July or August and started going down to them every week, every Saturday. Wouldn’t miss it,” Brendan said.
“Then we started doing a bit of trials in the last couple of weeks because there was a competition coming up in Tallaght.
“A few weeks back, they were picking the team, and they picked four of us to go to the World Cup, and they picked the rest of the lads to do the tournament in Tallaght.”
Brendan said his ability to recover and change was down to his family, who “never gave up” on him.
“That’s why I changed. Even though I’d given up, my family never gave up, so I needed to repay the faith they had in me,” he added.
“Once you stay drug-free, anything is achievable in life. I’m living proof of that. The life I have today is a far cry from the one I had two years ago.”
The Homeless World Cup will be held in Asia for the first time, at Hanyang University, Seoul, from September 21 to 28.
The event aims to help participants move “from feeling forgotten to being celebrated on a global stage”.