[citation needed] In 2008 Gleeson joined the Tipperary senior hurling team as understudy to regular 'keeper Brendan Cummins.

[3] Gleeson was later included on Tipperary's championship panel and collected a Munster medal as a non-playing substitute following a 2-21 to 0-19 defeat of Clare.

[5] Later that year he made his championship debut as a ten-minute blood sub for Brendan Cummins in a 1-19 to 0-19 Munster quarter-final defeat of Cork.

Former Cork goalkeeper Donal Óg Cusack speaking on the Sunday Game highlights programme on the night of the semi-final match said that in his opinion Gleeson had given the greatest ever display of tactical puckouts in the game saying "Darren Gleeson gave the greatest display of tactical puckouts ever seen...

[12][13] In October 2017, Gleeson announced his retirement from inter-county hurling, citing work and family commitments as the reasons.

[25] On 27 June 2017, Gleeson was given a three-and-a-half-year suspended prison sentence after admitting an offence of obtaining €10,000 by deception from an elderly man in 2013.