Former Kilkenny hurler and businessman DJ Carey has been hospitalised following a suspected heart attack.

Carey is reported to have became unwell while attending to some business at Kilkenny Garda station this morning.

The nine-time All Star was admitted to St Luke's hospital in Kilkenny.

His mother said this evening the hurling star was in a stable position.



Maura Carey said the family did not yet know anything else about the cause of his sudden illness.



“He’s comfortable, that’s all that we know,” she said.

Denis Quinlan, chairman of the Young Irelands club in Gowran, Co Kilkenny, Carey’s home club, said all his friends were wishing him a speedy recovery.



“He had some sort of a turn as far as we can gather,” he said. “But he’s seemingly comfortable in hospital. Whatever happened, we wish him a quick recovery.”

Carey (41) from Gowran, hurled with Kilkenny for 16 years between 1990 and 2005. In 1998, when he was just 27, he announced his retirement from the game. However, he returned to the black and amber after receiving 25,000 letters within a fortnight asking him to reconsider.

As a player, he was hurler of the year in 1993 and 2000, he won five All-Ireland titles, 10 Leinster titles, four National Hurling League titles and two Railway Cup titles with Leinster.

Carey's relationship with entrepreneur Sarah Newman ended recently. She came to prominence as a panellist on the first RTÉ series of Dragon’s Den in 2009.

A luxury Swiss property owned by Ms Newman, which was at the centre of an AIB case against Ms Newman and DJ Carey, was sold in December last year.

AIB indicated that it was to move against the property last May after the bank was awarded judgment of €9 million against Ms Newman and Mr Carey, arising from loans, and guarantees they had given for each other’s loans, primarily on properties in Mount Juliet in Kilkenny and the K Club in Co Kildare.

Additional reporting: PA