1. Dalo – The Autobiography
By captaining Clare to the All-Ireland title twice, becoming the Banner boss at the age of 33 and guiding Dublin to their first Leinster title in 52 years, Anthony Daly has packed a lot into his hurling career. There’s plenty insight here into those hurling days along with struggles off the field in closing his business and dealing with family health issues. Daly’s unflinching honesty and positivity shines through in a book that sees him collaborate with Christy O’Connor.
- More details available here.
2. The Bloodied Field
Award-winning journalist Michael Foley – who produced ‘Kings of September’, an account of the seminal 1982 clash between Kerry and Offaly – recounts the extraordinary story of Bloody Sunday in Croke Park and the 90 seconds of shooting that changed Ireland forever. A revealing portrait of the events of 21 November 1920 and what unfolded as Tipperary and Dublin prepared to face off in a Gaelic football match.
- More details available here.
Bloody Sunday 1920 in Croke Park – 90 seconds of shooting that changed Irish-British History
3. Paul Galvin: In My Own Words
On February 1st last, it was announced Paul Galvin had called time on his inter-county career. He had enjoyed a brilliant run of success that yielded four All-Ireland senior medals, along with three Allstars and the 2009 Footballer of the Year award. His recently-released autobiography sees Galvin – who wrote the book himself – chart the highs and lows of an engaging career in an unflinching manner. There’s plenty GAA tales to absorb but topics like fashion, media and growing up in North Kerry are also explored.
- More details available here.
4. Hell For Leather
Journalists Ronnie Bellew and Dermot Crowe collaborated here on a book that looks at the evolution of the sport through 100 games. The narrative is told in a storytelling style rather than straight match reportage with 40 interviews carried out to provide the material for the book.,
- More details available here.
Mick Mackey: He became hurling’s first superstar, “the playboy of the southern world”
5. Cake
Shane ‘Cake’ Curran brought down the curtain on his career recently when St Brigid’s lost out at the Connacht club semi-final stage. A two-code goalkeeper – for Roscommon in Gaelic football and for Athlone Town in soccer – Curran’s life and times are recalled here in a book that sees him collaborate with Tommy Conlon. A richly engaging and colourful character, Curran’s fascinating business career is also dealt with.
- More details available here.
Shane Curran names the top 5 attackers he’s faced during his career and why
6. Fields Of Fire
2013 was a hurling season that captured the imagination and that was the backdrop for the publication of Fields Of Fire last May by journalist Damian Lawlor. It’s a book that examines the narrative in hurling, which saw Kilkenny stitch together an incredible run of success, before other counties rose to meet their standards and challenge them. There’s plenty to enjoy from John Mullane on Waterford, Davy Fitzgerald on Clare and a brilliant insight into the Kilkenny team from the likes of Eddie Brennan and ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick
- More details available here.
‘My wee was orange, like the contents of a bottle of Lucozade’ — John Mullane on passing Davy’s tests
7. One Sunday – ‘A day in the life of the Mayo football team’
Conor Mortimer, Mayo’s all-time leading scorer, parted company with James Horan’s county squad back in 2012. It was a high-profile departure in a year when Mayo reached the All-Ireland final but lost out to Donegal. Two years on Mortimer – with journalist Jackie Cahill – has put pen to paper for his Mayo football story and the narrative of a county whose continuous pursuit of All-Ireland glory has fascinated many. The centrepiece of the book is the 2006 All-Ireland decider, a game that saw Mayo arrive armed with high hopes before Kerry won out in a ruthless fashion.
- More details available here.
Mayo, Michael Jackson and Mortimer – the story of the 2009 Connacht final celebration
8. The Furlongs: The Story of a Remarkable GAA Family
The history of the renowned Furlong family from Tullamore in Offaly is recounted by journalist Pat Nolan. It charts the family’s early days in Wexford and a life on the run during the War of Independence before landing in Tullamore in the late 1920′s. The four boys all achieve notoriety through the GAA with three-time All-Ireland winner Martin becoming the most famous. More than 50 people from both sides of the Atlantic are interviewed to produce the tale.
- More details available here.
Furlong, Sheehy and Lowry reflect on the famous Kerry-Offaly game from 1982
9. ‘A Season Of Sundays’ 2014
For the 18th year, Sportsfile have produced a book chronicling the story of the GAA year in images. ‘Footballer of the Year’ James O’Donoghue lands the much coveted front cover image, celebrating his outstanding Munster final display against Cork.
- More details available here.
10. Captains of the Premier Ship
Local Tipperary journalist Noel Dundon has penned a history of the 21 All-Ireland winning senior hurling captains from the Premier county. Tom Semple, Pat Stakelum, Jimmy Doyle, Bobby Ryan, Tommy Dunne and Eoin Kelly are some of those featured.
11. The GAA In My Time
The noted GAA analyst who managed Offaly to the 1982 All-Ireland title and more recently has been part of the Football Review Committee, has released a book reflecting on his long involvement in the GAA.
- More details available here.
12. The Championship 2014
RTÉ Radio’s GAA correspondent has brought out his annual record of the championship season. The 20th book in the series looks back at a year where Kerry and Kilkenny both claimed All-Ireland titles.
