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A feature length documentary inspired by Kevin O'Neill who played for Down in the 1960 All Ireland winning team hopes to highlight and tackle one of Ireland's biggest killers Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
Kevin's son Donal, the founder of the Gaelic Players’ Association, has recruited the support of legendary South African Sports and Exercise Physiologist, Prof Tim Noakes MD, to investigate and tackle CVD in a feature length documentary with a strong GAA theme.
Kevin was left half back on the great Down team of 1960. The older brother of Sean enjoyed very good health and had sailed through cardiac stress tests throughout his life - yet he subsequently suffered a heart attack.
“Cereal Killers” kicks off with archive footage of the iconic Down v Kerry 1960 All Ireland Football Final before moving to challenge conventional medical wisdom and nutritional advice as it relates to CVD. Based on extensive research, Donal formulates and implements a highly controversial 4 week food and exercise plan under the full medical supervision of Noakes and his expert team in South Africa.
The fly on the wall documentary profiles the astonishing journey and medical results achieved by the younger O’Neill’s attempt to “hack his genes” after radical DNA testing reveals a genetic disposition towards heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The GAA theme runs deep throughout - Cereal Killers also features the former Armagh footballer Colm Hanratty, the Belfast based Cardiologist who operated on and saved the former Down star’s life.
Commenting, Donal O’Neill said “Cereal Killers began as a personal quest to find out more about the emergence of heart disease and type 2 diabetes in my own family. I just didn’t think lean, fit healthy men should develop these diseases. But what I found shocked me.
The more research I conducted, the more determined I became to share what I had found with a wider audience. The participation and support of Prof Tim Noakes then presented the opportunity to challenge conventional wisdom alongside a giant of science. After that, we just went for it really.
Every year 10,000 people die from CVD in Ireland each year – that’s the capacity of Hill 16 in Croke Park. I sincerely hope that Cereal Killers can empower people and contribute in some way to get those numbers down.
It will be released in time for Donegal’s second successive Sam Maguire!”
The Cereal Killers team are raising funds for the project on the kickstarter crowd funding platform at www.kickstarter.com/projects/835313616/cereal-killers-the-movie where you can find out much more on the project.
