It’s hard to find a story more powerful than Gareth Farrelly's. Gareth was scouted from Home Farm to play for Aston Villa before his 15th birthday, he left home and began life in pro football like so many before him, homesick and unprepared for what would follow. The bullying he would suffer at the hands of a respected youth coach at the club would push him to the brink of suicide but he didn’t give in. Download this episode and listen to this incredible story and how a bizarre life threatening illness suddenly changed the course of his life. How does a pro football player jack it all in to become a lawyer and why? It’s all in this bumper episode of An Irishman Abroad. To hear the full extended cut of this conversation in which Gareth opens up about his thoughts on the FAI, the various characters that he has come across in football and what it was like to be a professional footballer at the start of the Premier League, become a premium listener and all round legend by subscribing to the Irishman Abroad Premium Feed on www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad.To access the full back catalogue of 212 Irishman Abroad episodes visit patreon.com/irishmanabroad.You can also gain access to the entire Irishman Abroad archive of episodes through our iPhone and Android Apps. Download the Irishman Abroad Android or iPhone apps for free using the links below.itunes.apple.com/ie/app/an-irishm…d1101165812?mt=8play.google.com/store/apps/detail…anabroad&hl=en_IEAn Irishman Abroad is brought to you by Currency Fair. Currency Fair is the official partner of the podcast. To get great exchange rates and to avoid ridiculous bank and broker charges when transferring money to anywhere in the world go to currencyfair.com.For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on [email protected]: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.