GAA books for the stocking

[RedandGreenSniper]

Top 10, not easy.

10: Ireland's Professional Amateurs by Andy Mendlowicz
9: 4: The Road to Croker by Eamonn Sweeney
8: Hurling, The Revolution Years by Denis Walsh
7: Green Fields by Tom Humphries
6: The Lifelong Season by Keith Duggan
5: House of Pain by Keith Duggan
4: Last Man Standing, Hurling Goalkeepers by Christy O'Connor
3: Keys to the Kingdom, Jack O'Connor with Tom Humphries
2: Dublin v Kerry by Tom Humphries
1: Kings of September by Michael Foley.

I must get around to reading a blast of the hurling bios - Liam Dunne, Justin McCarthy and must also get Liam Hayes. Looking forward too to reading Damien Lawlor's Waterford footballers book, Donal Og and Mickey Harte. Kings of September is a book that will take some beating though. A great story superbly told.

[INDIANA]

yep plain forgot about the dublin v kerry book -great read. The road to Croker book was excellent as well by Sweeney.

[catchandkick]

Hard to do stepenite but here's a few anyway : Hurling bios better than football ones in general don't know why:

Green Fields- Tom Humphries
Hooked- Justin Mc Carthy
Keys to the kingdom- Jack O Connor
Beyond the Tunnel- Nicky English
I crossed the line - Liam Dunne
Working on a Dream - Damian Lawlor- Waterford Footballers
House of Pain- Mayo football
Out of our skins?- Liam Hayes autobio (even though he's an asshole)
Hurling the revolution years- denis walsh
Last Man Standing- christy O Connor
Tangled in Blue -Dessie- if you avoid the GPA chapters which really took form the book in my view

Worst ones I've read (sorry lads)

Brian Corcoran's
Raising the banner - ger loughnane
Cody's
Charlie Carter's by enda mc evoy
Mick ODwyer's by Martin Breheny
Babs Keating (self explanatory)
Paidi- by sean potts

Wouldn't agree about Loughnane's book. The writing is very average but Loughnane's obsession to win an All Ireland and make the breakthrough leaps out in every page. I'm sure Mickey Harte has read it a few times.

[catchandkick]

Top 10, not easy.

10: Ireland's Professional Amateurs by Andy Mendlowicz

Is this a recent book? Never heard of it

[INDIANA]

Hard to do stepenite but here's a few anyway : Hurling bios better than football ones in general don't know why:

Green Fields- Tom Humphries
Hooked- Justin Mc Carthy
Keys to the kingdom- Jack O Connor
Beyond the Tunnel- Nicky English
I crossed the line - Liam Dunne
Working on a Dream - Damian Lawlor- Waterford Footballers
House of Pain- Mayo football
Out of our skins?- Liam Hayes autobio (even though he's an asshole)
Hurling the revolution years- denis walsh
Last Man Standing- christy O Connor
Tangled in Blue -Dessie- if you avoid the GPA chapters which really took form the book in my view

Worst ones I've read (sorry lads)

Brian Corcoran's
Raising the banner - ger loughnane
Cody's
Charlie Carter's by enda mc evoy
Mick ODwyer's by Martin Breheny
Babs Keating (self explanatory)
Paidi- by sean potts

Wouldn't agree about Loughnane's book. The writing is very average but Loughnane's obsession to win an All Ireland and make the breakthrough leaps out in every page. I'm sure Mickey Harte has read it a few times.

Doubt TYRONE run up and down mountains! One of those should have been a great book but was badly put together in my view.

[thebandit]

I'm nearly finished Donal Óg's book, its fairly good - some funny bits, some propaganda. The 'revelations' form a small enough part of it. Seems to be a good enough account of his life.

I read the first 2 chapters of Cody's and havent gone back near it....

I have Mickey Harte's - supposed to be a good read, it comes across that he is heavily influenced by his religious beliefs.

I haven't got Damien Lawlor's book yet, but its supposed to be the best of the lot.

[Qwerty28]

10: Ireland's Professional Amateurs by Andy Mendlowicz

Came across this on amazonand just got it today. Its about a yank that comes to Ireland for the Summer and follows the gaa season. Travels to matches, training sessions, clubs etc and writes about his adventure. I'll let you kno what its like once I get into it but it got good reviews on amazon so thats why I bought it!

[ardmhachaabu]

Anyone read Bainisteoiri yet?

Anyone?

[ONeill]

10: Ireland's Professional Amateurs by Andy Mendlowicz

Came across this on amazonand just got it today. Its about a yank that comes to Ireland for the Summer and follows the gaa season. Travels to matches, training sessions, clubs etc and writes about his adventure. I'll let you kno what its like once I get into it but it got good reviews on amazon so thats why I bought it!

Oh yes, I read about this - meant to be a very good read.

[longrunsthefox]

Top 10, not easy.

10: Ireland's Professional Amateurs by Andy Mendlowicz
9: 4: The Road to Croker by Eamonn Sweeney
8: Hurling, The Revolution Years by Denis Walsh
7: Green Fields by Tom Humphries
6: The Lifelong Season by Keith Duggan
5: House of Pain by Keith Duggan
4: Last Man Standing, Hurling Goalkeepers by Christy O'Connor
3: Keys to the Kingdom, Jack O'Connor with Tom Humphries
2: Dublin v Kerry by Tom Humphries
1: Kings of September by Michael Foley.

I must get around to reading a blast of the hurling bios - Liam Dunne, Justin McCarthy and must also get Liam Hayes. Looking forward too to reading Damien Lawlor's Waterford footballers book, Donal Og and Mickey Harte. Kings of September is a book that will take some beating though. A great story superbly told.

Agreed, I couldn't put Kings of September down. Brilliant insight and research into the players and how they have travelled in life since. Was at the '82 final and living in Dublin at the time... remember the whole build up very well and Kerry folk in the capital saying, 'We'll be drinking 7-Up in two years time.'.. and the rest as they say...

[T O Hare]

Kennellys book was a disappointment... It seemd that is was threw together in a few days... He has a great story but the book was poorly written!!!!!

[catchandkick]

Kennellys book was a disappointment... It seemd that is was threw together in a few days... He has a great story but the book was poorly written!!!!!

That seems to be the general verdict.

Even 'The Kerryman' newspaper gave it a bad review, and when 'The Kerryman' gives anything Kerry related a bad review , you know you're in trouble!

[mountainboii]

Skimmed through The History of Gaelic Football by Eoghan Corry. I was actually shocked (not strong coffee shocked but eyebrow raising) at the errors in the sections I browsed - 1995 and 2008.

In the 1995 account it not once, not twice, but three times claims that it was Sean Kavanagh (it then becomes Sean Cavanagh) who knocked over the disallowed point. It was Sean McLoughlin. Sean Cavanagh (or Kavanagh) was about 12 then. It also, on numerous occasions, refers to Fergal Lohan (Logan) who was involved in the Redmond sending off. Again, it is mentioned a few times.

In 2008 it was apparently O'Connell (McConnell) who replaced Devine in goals after his father died.

That's all I've read but so far very unimpressive.

I've always had the suspicion that AFR doesn't actually read the books they're reviewing - http://www.anfearrua.com/story.asp?id=2992# - but massages ego in return for favourable exposure.

That's what I like about the gaaboard. No obligation to stroke the hair of anyone.

Jaysus, just read another chapter - 2004. This book gets worse. Apparently in Ulster in 2004 Tyrone won the Ulster title, beating Down in a replay....bla bla ....although all this happened in 2003. Checked back a few pages and the same paragraph is published under 2003. They've repeated the same story for Ulster in 2003 and 2004. Feck sake, glad I didn't buy this.

Had a brief flick through this today and its every bit as bad, if not worse than O'Neill says. In addition to the above errors, it also states that Barry Duffy and Steven McDonnell scored goals for Tyrone against Armagh in 2002, and that John McEntee (I think) got a late winning goal for Armagh. If there were this many errors about relatively recent events, how fucked up is the rest of the book? Joke of an attempt.

[ONeill]

Skimmed through The History of Gaelic Football by Eoghan Corry. I was actually shocked (not strong coffee shocked but eyebrow raising) at the errors in the sections I browsed - 1995 and 2008.

In the 1995 account it not once, not twice, but three times claims that it was Sean Kavanagh (it then becomes Sean Cavanagh) who knocked over the disallowed point. It was Sean McLoughlin. Sean Cavanagh (or Kavanagh) was about 12 then. It also, on numerous occasions, refers to Fergal Lohan (Logan) who was involved in the Redmond sending off. Again, it is mentioned a few times.

In 2008 it was apparently O'Connell (McConnell) who replaced Devine in goals after his father died.

That's all I've read but so far very unimpressive.

I've always had the suspicion that AFR doesn't actually read the books they're reviewing - http://www.anfearrua.com/story.asp?id=2992# - but massages ego in return for favourable exposure.

That's what I like about the gaaboard. No obligation to stroke the hair of anyone.

Jaysus, just read another chapter - 2004. This book gets worse. Apparently in Ulster in 2004 Tyrone won the Ulster title, beating Down in a replay....bla bla ....although all this happened in 2003. Checked back a few pages and the same paragraph is published under 2003. They've repeated the same story for Ulster in 2003 and 2004. Feck sake, glad I didn't buy this.

Had a brief flick through this today and its every bit as bad, if not worse than O'Neill says. In addition to the above errors, it also states that Barry Duffy and Steven McDonnell scored goals for Tyrone against Armagh in 2002, and that John McEntee (I think) got a late winning goal for Armagh. If there were this many errors about relatively recent events, how fucked up is the rest of the book? Joke of an attempt.

Thank God for that! I was feeling bad that I was being hard on him. The ironic bit is his premise was that he was pissed off at crap historys!

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

From the Irish Times:

Six shortlisted for Sports Book of the Year

Books: A shortlist of six books for the 2009 Williamhill.com Irish Sports Book of the Year was announced today.

In this the GAA's 125th anniversary year there are three Gaelic Games themed books on the shortlist. Mickey Harte's autobiography, Harte: Presence is the Only Thing , written with Michael Foley has made the last six, as has Damian Lawlor's tale of a year with the Waterford footballers, Working on a Dream . Dónal Óg Cusack's autobiography, Come What May , with Tom Humphries, completes the GAA trio.

In an equally memorable year for Irish rugby, two books from this genre were shortlisted. Eddie O'Sullivan's autobiography, Never Die Wondering , with Vincent Hogan, and Alan English's detailing of Ireland's historic Grand Slam victory, Grand Slam: How Ireland Achieved Rugby Greatness were included.

The final book is Kieran Shannon's detailed account of the golden age of basketball in Ireland in the 1980's, Hanging from the Rafters .

A total of 23 books were entered for the award and the winner will be announced on the December 3rd.

Williamhill.com Irish Sports Book of the Year Shortlist

- Never Die Wondering — Eddie O'Sullivan with Vincent Hogan (Random House Press)
- Harte: Presence is the Only Thing — Mickey Harte with Michael Foley (Poolbeg)
- Come What May: The Autobiography — Dónal Óg Cusack with Tom Humphries (Penguin Ireland)
- Hanging from the Rafters — Kieran Shannon (Evening Echo Publications)
- Working on a Dream — Damian Lawlor (Mentor Books)
- Grand Slam: How Ireland Achieved Rugby Greatness — Alan English (Penguin Ireland)