'Ask me who I am and I’ll start with where I come from. I am Ballymun. It is in my blood. It’s where I learned about pride and passion and the importance of hard work. Loyalty. Perseverance. Love.

And it’s where I discovered that the world we live in has some very sharp edges, and if you’re not careful, you can cut yourself. Prejudice. Poverty. Violence. Crime. Drugs. Death.'

Two brothers growing up in the shadows of Ballymun flats are on very different paths. Sports-mad Philly is on his way to the hallowed turf of Croke Park; John to exile in London, heartbreak and, ultimately, tragedy. But were these paths set in stone? Or does our fate lie in the choices we make?

Philly McMahon won eight All-Irelands with Dublin football team before retiring at the end of 2021. Philly is also a performance coach with Bohemians, an entrepreneur and social activist. Since losing his brother, John, in 2012, Philly has become an outspoken advocate for addiction and mental health initiatives and is passionate about intervention for young people.

Niall Kelly is a journalist and Deputy Editor of The42.ie. He previously worked with Andy Lee on Fighter and Barry Geraghty on True Colours and with Philly on his award-winning and bestselling memoir for adults The Choice.