Bohemians building foundations for prisoner reintegration

You could see the goose bumps on his legs; wearing a pair of shorts probably wasn’t the best idea in the frosty November air. Standing on the concrete surface, with the floodlights shining down on him, the ball spun off his red Nike runners and skidded along the ground into the moss-covered corner.

Oscar Brennan is waiting for his friends to join him for a game of heads and volleys, a game that every child in Ireland has played at one point or another. He’s growing impatient; the rest of the lads are late this evening.

“I’m going to knock around to see who’s coming out for a game of ball”, he said. Except on this occasion it’s probably not what you’re thinking, the lads he’s knocking for are inmates in Dublin’s Mountjoy prison, and the doors he’s knocking on are their cell-doors.

Over the past two seasons, Oscar Brennan played more than 60 games for Bohemian FC, a journey where he started as a boy and matured into a man.

During that time he worked with the Bohemian Foundation on a project rehabilitating prisoners through sport, to assist with their reintegration into society after prison. With Oscar now leaving Bohemians, this occasion was his last visit to Mountjoy.

When they’re told the news, a silence falls on the cell-block. The Governor of Mountjoy Prison, Donnacha Walsh, says, “Oscar has been a massive influence on all the lads here. The skills he’s taught the guys have really helped them when they’ve been reintegrating into life outside.”

The anguish on his face was inescapable. It was clear Oscar was leaving a piece of himself behind in Mountjoy.

He candidly explained, “It’s an honour to play for Bohs and it’s amazing for me to be able to use that profile to go in and help other people who have been forgotten by society,” said the 22-year-old player who has made the move to Shelbourne for the 2019 season.

As the game of heads and volleys gets under way the disappointment is put behind them for his final hour, from the roars of laughter and messing around reminded you these moments for the prisoners are something special.

When the hour is up the guards emerge to wrap things up to a chorus of playful boos from everyone, as if it was bedtime for the children. Oscar stands in the middle of the yard, looking all around him taking a mental picture of a place that helped shape him into the man he is.

The prisoners give him a guard of honour as he is leaving, a man of the people left Mountjoy a hero. 

Later that evening, Oscar spoke candidly about how he got involved with the Bohemian Foundation and how much he enjoyed the experience.

“I’ve been involved with the Bohemian Foundation for about 18 months. It was Matt Devaney [former club president] who first told me about the Foundation. I had no idea about it until then.

"It was always something I said I wanted to get involved in. I got involved in the walking football with Chris [Brien] and the prison with Thomas [Hynes], and I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s been a rewarding experience.”

He then went on to describe the impact his work with the Foundation has had on him personally.

“It’s given me a chance to dig a little bit deeper and really just get involved. I never did it for myself. I just did it because I wanted to help, and I enjoyed going in and being able to help the prisoners.”

Thomas Hynes, who is the president of the Bohemian Foundation, was also effusive in his praise of both Oscar and Shane Supple – who also played a big role with the Foundation.

“For the [Bohemain] Foundation to work, considering the momentous task of helping with the reformation of prisoners, we need the right people, in the right place and at the right time. I know it sounds like a cliché, but we have Governor Walsh and prison officers there along with the right players in Shane and Oscar.

"They are all the right people to make a positive impact. Everyone has come together to make this thing work, and now we can see the results of it all.”