Hurler Colin Fennelly has described life in the Defence Forces as "absolute boredom" with "nothing happening".

The Ballyhale Shamrocks and Kilkenny star said that there was a lot of emphasis on sport and that was the only reason it suited him.

He said that his time in the Defence Forces had "no job satisfaction" and that "in the army itself, there's nothing to do".

Speaking to 'Off the Ball' on Newstalk, seven-time All Ireland winner Fennelly said of his time in the Lebanon: "There was nothing happening over there.

"You get your run in and your gym in during the day. That's pretty much it.

"It was a means to an end to be honest. I enjoyed it only because I was doing so well with Kilkenny.

Expand Close Capt Andrew O'Shaughnessy and Private Colin Fennell lined out against each other for Kilmallock and Ballyhale Shamrocks, in the All Ireland Hurling Club Final 2015. Picture taken in Collins Barracks, Cork / Facebook

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Whatsapp Capt Andrew O'Shaughnessy and Private Colin Fennell lined out against each other for Kilmallock and Ballyhale Shamrocks, in the All Ireland Hurling Club Final 2015. Picture taken in Collins Barracks, Cork

"There was no job satisfaction in it for me. I'm sure for certain lads there is. In the army itself, there's nothing to do.

"It's obviously a good thing there's nothing to do army-wise. But walk down to the locker rooms and you see lads there doing nothing, because there's nothing to do."

He said that there could be "so much more help to the community" and that soldiers could be learning trades or helping in other ways.

Fennelly spent six years in the Defence Forces but he claimed that boredom was affecting morale and that "there's a whole revamp that needs to be done".

And Fennelly added: "When I hear the nurses coming out and asking for more pay, I can see exactly why" because "the work they do (compared to) the work the army do".

Fennelly left the army last year, and said "it was always my career goal to go into project management".

"The army was the probably the place I could have had a stab at the hurling. That worked out for me. That was 100% the reason for going in.

"A lot of my friends went to London or Australia at the time, but that wasn't really an option for me. I wanted to stick around for the hurling. I'm glad I did now."

The Defence Forces tweeted from the Óglaigh na hÉireann Twitter account in response to the interview.

"We are surprised and disappointed to hear these comments from a former member. Óglaigh na hÉireann takes pride in our members who achieve at the highest levels in sport. However, whilst sport is an integral aspect of our culture, it is not the only aspect."

Online Editors