Life, Death & Hurling, The Michael Duignan Story

[Bord na Mona man]

This book is getting launched Thursday night at 8pm in the Tullamore Court Hotel.

Extracts from the book will be serialised in the Irish Independent tomorrow and Wednesday ahead of the launch.

Life, Death & Hurling, The Michael Duignan Story
Michael Duignan spent more than a decade earning a reputation as one of the most competitive hurlers in a sport famous for its uncompromising characters. He claimed two All-Ireland winner's medals as part of an Offaly team packed with natural ability and flair but which was saddled, unfairly in Duignan's view, with the label of being a group of feckless mavericks. Since his retirement, he has established another reputation for himself as an equally uncompromising TV commentator, unafraid to 'tell it as he sees it'.

But, behind Duignan's sporting success and high-profile media character,lies a more unconventional and complex man who has striven with tragedy off the sporting field. In September 2009, after a long and difficult battle, his wife, Edel, died from cancer. In Life, Death & Hurling, Michael Duignan recounts his wife's struggle to overcome her cancer and, later, bravely accept her fate. He tells how Edel's fight to survive drew the couple and their sons, Seán and Brian, closer than ever. But her death, and Michael's inability to cope with her passing, brought him into an ominous phase of his life with almost devastating consequences.

In his autobiography, Michael Duignan lays bare the events, both personal and professional, which have gone into shaping him over the years. A strong, true voice that speaks on sport, life and death with authority and compassion, Life, Death & Hurling is an exceptional workby any standards. About the co-author: Pat Nolan is a native of Tullamore in Co Offaly and has worked as Gaelic Games Correspondent for the Irish Daily Mirror since January 2007. He graduated as a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer-Aided Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from Dublin City University in 2004 and as a Master of Arts in Journalism from Dublin Institute of Technology in 2005. Aged 29, this is his first book.

[Declan]

Looking forward to reading this

[maxpower]

As am I, always thought Michael comes across as a fair and passionate hurling man.

[imtommygunn]

Didn't know that about the wife at all - very sad.

I like Duignan. He's a refreshing change from the crap that comes from the football pundits. Comes across likeable and says what he thinks rather than looking like a publicity seeking eejit. (Quite like Mulcahy too)

[the waffler]

LOOKS LIKE A STOCKING FILLER ALRIGHT

[orangeman]

The bits so far in the Independent are very good -


Might put this on my Xmas list.

[seafoid]

Very sad to hear about his wife. Such a young age and 2 kids.
Cancer also took Aussie cricketer Glenn McGrath's wife , very similar circumstances.

[Ash Smoker]

This is one for the Christmas sticking. There isn't many hurling books coming out this year, so this will kill a bit of the festive boredom.

[muppet]

Didn't know that about the wife at all - very sad.

I like Duignan. He's a refreshing change from the crap that comes from the football pundits. Comes across likeable and says what he thinks rather than looking like a publicity seeking eejit. (Quite like Mulcahy too)

I agree, both are better than any of the football variety.

[Bord na Mona man]

A few thoughts on the book.
Its an excellent read and obviously a must for any Offaly fan.

The start and end of it deal with the loss of Michael's wife Edel. The build up and the aftermath.
There is definitely no yerra in the book. It is extremely honest, frank with plenty of emotion.

The middle deals with the hurling and sporting aspects of Duignan's life. Some of the yarns will be familiar, but lose nothing in the re-telling.

A few noteworthy things on the Offaly hurling chapters.

He gives great credit to Pat Joe Whelahan for how he revolutionised the minor set-up. It is remarkable (but not surprising) to read how ramshackle the 'preparations' were for the 1985 minor team and how much things subsequently improved things under Whelahan. Also how Whelahan successfully married the Birr and Rynaghs groups who made up 12 of the 15 starters for the '86 minor All Ireland winning team.

Clearly the narrow loss to Tipperary in 1989 U21 All Ireland and the perception of Tipp (well Declan Ryan) were arrogant in victory. Evidently there were digs in the aftermath about how Offaly bowed and crumbled to the might of a traditional hurling power.

On the Babs Keating thing. He was unaware of any growing resentment towards Keating's method that year being based outside of the county, but felt Keating's heart wasn't fully in the role. He felt that Keating's jibes at how Offaly's revolt wouldn't have happened in a traditional hurling power were proved false when Keating's second rein in Tipperary tanked in similar fashion.

McIntyre's tendency toward long oration didn't always go down well and he felt that the team was flat going into 1997.

He is somewhat scathing of the Offaly squad he had under him in 2004 when he was drafted in to assist Mike McNamara. Felt they didn't follow instructions in the 2004 Leinster final. That they showed little fight in the subsequent qualifier against Clare and felt this mindset fed into the 31 point massacre by Kilkenny the year after.

The book is accurate in its recall of matches and events. Duignan comes across as a sharp hurling analyst. For example, he gives a very accurate assessment of the style of sweeping defending that Brian Whelahan employed, as opposed to traditional man-marking.

From what is written, you would gather that Duignan enjoys a busy social life. He is again honest in recounting how he did well during the boom, but has gotten burned in more recent times with the property crash.

He is optimistic about Offaly's prospect at underage - hoping for a Leinster minor title within 5 years. However there have been a few predictions like that in the last decades, so we'll see.

Anyway, get out and buy the book instead of reading 2nd hand commentaries on it!

[deiseach]

Any word in the book on this:

[Plain of the Herbs]

Lots of words on it, Deis.  Holds his hands up and says he should have been sent off.

Also recalls how the savages boohed him during the first half in Thurles a week later, and that they only stopped when Ollie Baker chopped down on Whelahan's hand and realised that it was possible for players who weren't dirty players to pull an odd 'out-of-character' stroke.

Any word in the book on this:

[michael d]

decent book and a good pundit

[Bord na Mona man]

Any word in the book on this:

Yeah, Duignan said that a few minutes before that he was marking Jamesie O'Connor. O'Connor caught him with a dirty one when he pulled over the ball and hit him on the shin, chipping the bone. He was livid and was adamant he was to level up the score with O'Connor as soon as the next chance arose.

Then to his dismay, Clare switched David Forde onto him. He was wound up at this stage and when he felt a clip of Forde's hurley on the head, he turned around and caught him.

He admitted it should have been a sending off and that Cooney, thinking as a hurler rather than a referee would have known that a stroke like that was not going to injure anyone. He gives credit to David Forde for getting up and not making a meal of it.

For the rematch Michael Bond told him beforehand to expect a rough time from the Clare yahoos. It had never crossed Duignan's mind, but sure enough the boos rang out whenever he got the ball. He reckoned Bond was fairly astute to anticipate it.

[deiseach]

Yeah, Duignan said that a few minutes before that he was marking Jamesie O'Connor. O'Connor caught him with a dirty one when he pulled over the ball and hit him on the shin, chipping the bone. He was livid and was adamant he was to level up the score with O'Connor as soon as the next chance arose.

Then to his dismay, Clare switched David Forde onto him. He was wound up at this stage and when he felt a clip of Forde's hurley on the head, he turned around and caught him.

He admitted it should have been a sending off and that Cooney, thinking as a hurler rather than a referee would have known that a stroke like that was not going to injure anyone. He gives credit to David Forde for getting up and not making a meal of it.

For the rematch Michael Bond told him beforehand to expect a rough time from the Clare yahoos. It had never crossed Duignan's mind, but sure enough the boos rang out whenever he got the ball. He reckoned Bond was fairly astute to anticipate it.

I see no contrition in that series of self-serving excuses. As for the idea that Jimmy Cooney let him off because he knew it wasn't a blow that would kill anyone, this has already been debunked by, well, Jimmy Cooney.

"My first instinct when I saw it was, 'Send him [Duignan] off', " recalls Cooney. "But as I came over to him ? and this is the truth ? I looked at the score and said, 'Oh God, there are nine points between them. If I do this I'm only making trouble for myself. It will be gone out of Offaly's reach at so early a stage and they'll only get negative in their hurling.' It was the wrong decision. He should have gone. I saw the incident clearly. If David Forde had stayed down, I would have had no hesitation in putting him off, but David jumped up and ran off."