Canice Picklington - A Kilkenny Hurling Legend Speaks

[Hardy]

Ah yeah.

[Asal Mor]

  Brilliant Sidney.

[Sidney]

How does Canice feel about being nominated for an All-Star for a record 16th time?

Canice only has 13 nominations and 10 awards, and wasn't nominated this year. But he wouldn't quibble with being left out this year. It just makes him all the more determined to put things right next year.

What does Canice think about the standard of hurling in Ulster?

Publicly Canice is very respectful of the standard of Ulster hurling. Publicly.

[Sidney]

Picklington reveals "property hell" in new book

by Sidney de Clare, South Kilkenny Standard  (incorporating the Mullinavat Bugle), October 30, 2013

Kilkenny hurling legend Canice Picklington has revealed how his "property hell" resulted in "humiliation" and fear that he "would not be able to put bread on the table" for his wife and children.

The frank account of how his exclusive Thomastown apartment development went disastrously wrong is contained in his new autobiography "Canice Picklington – Hurling Man", ghost written by respected RTE Gaelic Games commentator Brian Carthy, and which goes on sale next week.

Picklington also details how his financial troubles spurred him on to even greater success on the pitch.

But it's the tale of his failed property deal which will no doubt attract most interest.

Marketed as "Ranelagh-sur-Nore", the development of 10 luxury riverside apartments launched in September 2006, right at the peak of the property bubble.

Picklington was the public face of the scheme, built in partnership with his cousin Derek Picklington and controversial beef baron turned property developer PJ "Horns" Prendergast, but it was the latter two who pulled the strings behind the scenes.

Derek Picklington had had success in property development in mid-Leinster the early 2000s. A former Kilkenny intermediate hurling championship winner with St. David's, Welshtown, he first entered into business with former team mate Podge Parkinson and later with the much more experienced PJ Prendergast. "Derek was a hard man both on and off the pitch", says Canice.

The hard-drinking Prendergast, who made his name as a controversial "beef baron" in the late 1980s and early 1990s, had diversified successfully into property, developing low-specification apartments in Dublin. Basing himself out of his €4.7m trophy home on Dublin's ultra-prestigious Shrewsbury Road, which he bought in 2003, he was well known as a fanatical supporter of the Kilkenny hurlers. His face was ubiquitous at county fundraisers and post All-Ireland banquets.

"It wasn't something I had any interest in up to then, I'd have to say, as I was happy with my lot hurling with the club and county and working as an agricultural insurance salesman inside in the city", says Picklington. "But in late 2005 Derek and Horns approached me. They were pretty bullish about it. "This is a no-lose bet", they said. I was to be the frontman, while they would get the thing built."

"My mother didn't trust Derek from the word go and warned me against getting involved. But after a lot of persuasion. I decided to go for it, probably against my better judgement."

Prenlington Developments aimed the scheme at the high end of the market, with prices set at €850,000 for a two bed apartment. "It was ambitious, but Derek and PJ said that that price would prove to be a bargain three or four years down the line, and there would be queues of people waiting to buy them."

The development was launched at a gala reception at the K Club on the weekend of the 2006 Ryder Cup.

"On the face of it everything seemed great. Horns and Derek organised a marquee and the drinks flowed. The McCarthy Cup was placed at the head of the top table. Brian Cowen was there and spoke about how I was a credit to the country both on the hurling pitch and in business, which was very nice of him. He had a few drinks on him and sang "The Offaly Rover" and then himself and Horns got up on the table with the McCarthy Cup to sing The Rose of Mooncoin." I'd no real interest in the golf, but it was nice to be there, as the Ryder Cup being played in Ireland was good for the country, I suppose. But that kind of thing wasn't really for me. There were people there who I'd never seen in my life wanting to get their photographs taken with me. I was happy to oblige, of course, but after my third pint I made my excuses and left."

An extensive advertising campaign for the scheme was launched in the national media. Picklington's face was used in full page advertisements in the Irish Times property supplement under the slogan "An opportunity too good to ig-Nore".

Picklington's naturally shy demeanour meant he felt ill at ease with such a role. "It just wasn't me. I mean, there were radio ads as well. I couldn't turn on the radio without hearing my own voice, so I kept it off and just listened to a CD instead. Coldplay's "Parachutes" was the only thing I listened to for about three months. The song kept telling me it was all yellow, but as the apartments failed to sell, gradually the only thing I could see was red. "

The 10 luxury riverside apartments did not sell as expected, with only two selling within the first six months. Then the collapse in property values was to result in a financial nightmare for Picklington.

A week before Christmas in 2006, he demanded showdown talks with his cousin Derek and PJ Prendergast. "They reassured me that everything was fine and that any talk of a property crash was nonsense. They said the worst that could possibly happen was that there would be a soft landing."

Things reached the point of no return in mid-2007 when Canice told Derek and PJ Prendergast to "f**k off". "It was the night before the Leinster final. They were strong words, and it was out of character for me, but they had to be said. I was very angry, and it showed the next day. I had a point to prove." Picklington was to put in one of his greatest ever performances in that Leinster final, scoring 2-11. But there was to be no going back after that and the relationship between him and Derek Picklington and PJ Prendergast broke down irretrievably.

Things hit rock bottom for Canice Picklington in late 2007 when he realised that all personal guarantees for the money borrowed to build the apartments had been registered under his name. "I was naïve, no doubt about it. I trusted Derek completely, but he took advantage of my naivety. I gave him access to my personal bank account. I trusted him to take care of the financial side of things, but he let me down." The pair have not maintained contact since and the split is said to have bitterly divided the extended Picklington family.

In 2008 Derek Picklington fled to the UK, where he declared bankruptcy and now runs a financial advisory service. Prendergast continues to live in his Shrewsbury Road home.

"Derek just upped and left without telling anybody, and Horns laughed at me saying "you got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out of it". Things got pretty nasty, you'd have to say."

Playing hurling helped to take Canice's mind off things.

"Hurling became my refuge. I put everything into training and I was flying. On that pitch inside in Nowlan Park, I became an animal. But when I went home, I had trouble sleeping."

"I was literally worried about how I'd put bread on the table for my children Harry, Janice and Canice Junior and my wife Rachel. Only for the great feed Langton's gave us after training, I would have gone home hungry. It got to the point where I was bringing home food from Langton's in my gear bag."

The real scale of Picklington's difficulties became apparent at the Commerical Court in November 2008 when Mr Justice Michael Keating granted a judgement order against him for the repayment of €5.7m to ACC Bank. "The bank that likes to say yes said a firm "no" to me when I asked for a few months grace. I was in turmoil. The media had llatched onto things. The "Canice in a Pickle" headline in the Irish Daily Star was the worst moment. I felt humiliated."

Picklington was also forced to sell his collection of All-Ireland and Kilkenny county championship medals, as well the crystal vases and gold watches given to him for his Man of the Match performances in the 2000, 2003 and 2006 All-Ireland finals. "I never wore the watch so it was an easy decision. And the medals, well I didn't really mind either, I mean you can't wear them around your neck. I was sorry to part with the vases though. They were very nice."

But a chat with Mickey Harte at the 2008 All-Star awards ceremony, where Picklington picked up his third Hurler of the Year award, helped put things in perspective. "He was great. He told me that things could be a lot worse, and that I'd always have the respect of true Gaels for the way I'd represented my club and county, that I'd provided employment in the area, and that there was a media witch-hunt against me. That meant a lot to me."

Picklington finally declared bankruptcy in August 2009, just weeks before he lined out with Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final against Tipperary. He claims he used his financial difficulty as a motivating factor. "I used it as a motivating factor", he says.

"That 2009 final was a great win, you'd have to say, and the reaction from the Kilkenny supporters was incredible. They're the best and most passionate supporters in Ireland, and I'll never forget how they sang my name that day. That was the start of the road to recovery for me. I was determined to have the last laugh on Derek and Horns. I felt that win was the start of me bouncing back. "

Picklington says the support from the local community when his financial difficulties became known helped him enormously. "They really rallied around me. They helped me to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

"I'm coping well now. It's been a tough road the last few years but I'm happy with where I am right now. Life is about the simple things for me. It always has been. Hurling with the club and county. Helping out with the camogie. The family. An occasional day helping out on my father TJ's farm. Having a skinny latte inside in Ethos in Thomastown. An occasional dinner with Rachel inside in Hudson's. Browsing the antique shops on Market Street. A conversation with MJ inside in Fitzherbert's when I'm buying a newspaper. That kind of thing."

He can even look those riverside apartments in the eye when he's having his latte. "I've no regrets. And they're fairly decent apartments, actually."

He's been there and done that. And all may not yet be done. "I'd love to get that tenth All-Ireland. It drives me on. If I could get that tenth one I'd be enclosed in an envelope of satisfaction, as we say down here. But then there's the club as well, and that's probably even more important. We went out of the championship early this year, which was disappointing. But we'll be back training next week. I can't wait."

Happy with what he has, but never one to rest on his laurels, Canice Picklington has entered his season of mellow fruitfulness.

The apartments may not have sold well, but the book will surely be in the stocking of every hurling fan, and every hurling man, this Christmas.

-------

"Canice Picklington - Hurling Man" by Canice Picklington and Brian Carthy, foreword by PM O'Sullivan, will be available in all good bookshops from next Monday, priced at €30.99

[ONeill]

Wow - this is invaluable stuff.

I wonder what Canice's advice would be for a young lad starting out with hopes of a county career.

[muppet]

Wow - this is invaluable stuff.

I wonder what Canice's advice would be for a young lad starting out with hopes of a county career.

I'd say he'd tell him to go out and get yourself an envelope of satisfaction, preferably of the sealable variety, unlike those ones we have in Mayo.

[Asal Mor]

The book's a bit pricey but I'll be purchasing one on Monday. Great stuff. 

[anglocelt39]

Sidney, just by way of a sneak preview, and I promise I'll be rushing out to buy the book, is it safe to say Canice would gladly have swapped at least one Celtic Cross and any number of All Star Awards for the elusive County medal which he was robbed of in 08 after doing d'oul cruciate as I recall?

[easytiger95]

Class stuff Sidney -  but disappointed to hear the early drafts of the book have been edited to get rid of a chapter entitled "My Drugs Hell" when Canice detailed the wild party scene that circulated around the Ag Science block in UCD - including his near fatal dalliance with Ivomec F.

[Premier Emperor]

What about the time Canice brought 11 items to the 10 item express check out in Super Valu?

[brokencrossbar1]

What about the time Canice brought 11 items to the 10 item express check out in Super Valu?

Now you're going down Larry Reilly Road and that road is only fit for 1 man. 

[muppet]

What about the time Canice brought 11 items to the 10 item express check out in Super Valu?

Now you're going down Larry Reilly Road and that road is only fit for 1 man.

It used to be called Valu until that very day.

[Sidney]

Sidney, just by way of a sneak preview, and I promise I'll be rushing out to buy the book, is it safe to say Canice would gladly have swapped at least one Celtic Cross and any number of All Star Awards for the elusive County medal which he was robbed of in 08 after doing d'oul cruciate as I recall?

Canice has six senior county medals but you're right, that time in '08 was when the club spent a season down at intermediate level after being surprisingly relegated from senior the previous year. Canice did his cruciate in the county intermediate quarter-final and missed out on an intermediate medal that year. It's a huge regret of his, possibly the biggest of career. But like he says in the book, he has no regrets.

Class stuff Sidney -  but disappointed to hear the early drafts of the book have been edited to get rid of a chapter entitled "My Drugs Hell" when Canice detailed the wild party scene that circulated around the Ag Science block in UCD - including his near fatal dalliance with Ivomec F.

Canice didn't actually do Ag Science in UCD, he did Commerce. But he hung around with the Ag Science crowd alright, and that's probably what led to that unfortunate incident with the bottle of Cepravin (not Ivomec). Brian Carthy left it out of the book as he wanted to get none other than Uachtaran Cumann Luthchleas Gael, Liam O'Neill, to attend the launch. The Uachtaran doesn't like controversy and it was felt by Canice and Brian that discretion was the better part of valour as far as all were concerned in this case, you'd have to say.

Canice's memories of freshers hurling in UCD in 1998-99 are some of his happiest. The boys got up to some legendary high jinks on the buses back from away matches. The "pissing on the side of the road incident" coming back from the away match against Carlow IT has gone down in UCD hurling folklore.

What about the time Canice brought 11 items to the 10 item express check out in Super Valu?

I can't tell you about that, I'd say it more than likely didn't happen as Rachel does the shopping in the Picklington household, but I do know that as a player, Canice has told me that the one thing he misses about championship days is the craic outside Super Valu waiting for the bus that supporters get to experience. He's looking forward to experiencing it when he eventually retires.

[Farrandeelin]

Will Canice be on the Late Late to promote his new book? Will he have a nationwide tour signing autographs for children? Would he come to Mayo, I wonder to kind of kick start hurling?

[Sidney]

Will Canice be on the Late Late to promote his new book? Will he have a nationwide tour signing autographs for children? Would he come to Mayo, I wonder to kind of kick start hurling?

The Late Late is certainly a possibility, but I feel a chat between Tubs and Canice could be a bit forced.

It's a pity Eamon Dunphy isn't presenting a show at the moment as you feel he would have been the perfect man to interview Canice, given how many times he's talked admiringly about him in the past.

Canice knows Keith Higgins from the All-Star tours and I'm sure would look favourably on any request to help out in Mayo.

Canice has competition in the book market this year, I see. But you can be sure it'll be friendly competition between the former team-mates and Kilkenny legends.


DJ: "I always said I wouldn't write a book"
31 October 2013 -


DJ Carey's book 'DJ - A Sporting Legend' is as much of a surprise to him as anyone!

As somebody who rarely reads, the Kilkenny legend says he never had any intention of producing a book himself. But his autobiography - which is ghost-written by Martin Breheny - has been launched and will no doubt fly off the shop shelves:

"I always said I wouldn't write a book," the Black & Amber great told The Kilkenny People.

"I am not a reader. I have all the GAA and sports books, but I haven't read them. I suppose I am more a television person.

"This is a sports book. Obviously, there are different things as well. I have a go at social media. I have a go at gossips and different things.

"I tell my story and give all the information, but the figures, dates and so on have to be verified by the writer, who does most of the work."

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