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Any Good GAA Books?

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Replying To Ban: "Recommend Jackie Tyrell and Bernard Brogan. Very insightful. Don't recommend Gooch and Henry Shefflin. Not very insightful" Brian Cody and Darragh O Se would also be in the not recommend. Paul Galvin is one I'd recommend. The thing with a lot of GAA players books is they were always likely to make it at the highest level anyway so don't have much interesting stories to tell. oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1472 - 04/12/2023 07:26:52 2515414 Link
Mickey Hartes 3 books all insightful. His last, Devotion I enjoyed. veterngaa (Monaghan) - Posts: 653 - 04/12/2023 09:20:41 2515419 Link
Andy Moran's book very good great insight into life as inter county footballer ITSCHOLAR (Carlow) - Posts: 302 - 04/12/2023 09:42:29 2515422 Link
Philly McMahon's is my favourite, although GAA wouldn't really be the main theme it's a good read. streaker (Galway) - Posts: 503 - 04/12/2023 11:00:12 2515441 Link
Replying To icehonesty: "'Hooked' by Justin McCarthy & Kieran Shannon is the best GAA book ever written, and I've read a tonne of them. Also Hurling: The Revolution Years by Denis Walsh is good if you were around for 90's hurling. Out Of Our Skins by Liam Hayes is also a gem." I've heard hooked is a great read, impossible to get anywhere, even second hand online Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2085 - 04/12/2023 20:00:26 2515528 Link
Replying To GreenandRed: "Thanks for reviving this topic Brisbane. Always some good tips on it. I haven't read either of those books but the Hurley makers son looks a good read. King of September by Michael Foley and Dublin V Kerry by Tom Humphries are very good." King of September has great reviews I had never heard of it. I went and got Will Galway Beat Mayo? by James Laffey €27.50 brisbane (Galway) - Posts: 675 - 05/12/2023 15:01:50 2515615 Link
Replying To brisbane: "King of September has great reviews I had never heard of it. I went and got Will Galway Beat Mayo? by James Laffey €27.50" Kings of September is a good read. It covers the mid to late 90's when the big 3 teams, were replaced by Clare, Offaly, with 2 AI titles, and Wexford with one in 1996. Limerick lost 2 finals during that time span. thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 06/12/2023 19:37:55 2515790 Link
Up in Cavan Paul Fitzpatrick, the sports editor of our paper The Anglo Celt, has a couple of GAA books that are well rated. Think his most recent book is about Charlie Gallagher, the iconic Cavan footballer of the 60s. That's a good one, and I loaned it to a few of my uncles who remember Gallagher playing back in the day. They said it did him justice. Fitzpatrick has another one about the 1947 final in New York as well that's supposed to be good but I haven't got my hands on it yet. TheBlackDeath (Cavan) - Posts: 74 - 06/12/2023 21:29:22 2515794 Link
The Waterford Football one by Damien Lawlor a good few years back was a great read. It gave a great insight into the struggles of a lower division team in a hurling mad county. Their manager at the time seemed to be a great character. peiledoir20 (Donegal) - Posts: 1036 - 07/12/2023 10:04:47 2515826 Link
Replying To peiledoir20: "The Waterford Football one by Damien Lawlor a good few years back was a great read. It gave a great insight into the struggles of a lower division team in a hurling mad county. Their manager at the time seemed to be a great character." It's books like these that seem to be the best GAA reads. Autobiographies normally bland and not much behind them. In hindsight even McCarrons was only OK and probably needed VAR for a few of the stories! Exceptions being Harte and McGuinness. The book about the Dubs pre dominance was very good, also Sam's for the Hills. was well written with great depth to it. LondainEire (UK) - Posts: 41 - 07/12/2023 10:59:00 2515839 Link
I'm sure this book has been mentioned already but... '*Chasing Sam Maguire' by Colm Keys and Dermot Reilly is an excellent book. I highly recommend it. Was only released a few weeks ago. LongfordgaaAbú (Longford)* - Posts: 574 - 07/12/2023 12:19:20 2515856 Link
What did anyone think of Davy Fitz book? I gave up after a few chapters Jack_Sparrow (Westmeath) - Posts: 1030 - 07/12/2023 12:32:24 2515857 Link
Replying To TheBlackDeath: "Up in Cavan Paul Fitzpatrick, the sports editor of our paper The Anglo Celt, has a couple of GAA books that are well rated. Think his most recent book is about Charlie Gallagher, the iconic Cavan footballer of the 60s. That's a good one, and I loaned it to a few of my uncles who remember Gallagher playing back in the day. They said it did him justice. Fitzpatrick has another one about the 1947 final in New York as well that's supposed to be good but I haven't got my hands on it yet." Is that the one called' Fairytale in New York', I read the book, a good read about a historic All Ireland Final. How many of the Cavan side are still alive today. thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 07/12/2023 13:40:38 2515864 Link
Replying To peiledoir20: "The Waterford Football one by Damien Lawlor a good few years back was a great read. It gave a great insight into the struggles of a lower division team in a hurling mad county. Their manager at the time seemed to be a great character." Is that the great John Killy, known sometimes as ' Stonewall'? thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 07/12/2023 13:42:24 2515865 Link
Replying To icehonesty: "'Hooked' by Justin McCarthy & Kieran Shannon is the best GAA book ever written, and I've read a tonne of them. Also Hurling: The Revolution Years by Denis Walsh is good if you were around for 90's hurling. Out Of Our Skins by Liam Hayes is also a gem." I was always curious why the Limerick tram of the 90s didn't feature in The Revolution Years. I haven't lost sleep over it,but it's something I have always been curious about. bruffgael (Limerick) - Posts: 201 - 07/12/2023 15:35:46 2515878 Link
Replying To Jack_Sparrow: "What did anyone think of Davy Fitz book? I gave up after a few chapters" I thought it was ok, he had another one out previously years back as far as I remember Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2085 - 07/12/2023 17:38:33 2515898 Link
Replying To bruffgael: "I was always curious why the Limerick tram of the 90s didn't feature in The Revolution Years. I haven't lost sleep over it,but it's something I have always been curious about." Even your hurling neighbours in North Kerry got a chapter in that book. Past hurler (None) - Posts: 810 - 07/12/2023 21:00:56 2515924 Link
I read Tomás Ó Sé's 'The White heat' book recently, I didn't like it at all, half of it was rambling on about his uncle Paidi and it was all very repetitive. One things for sure, not being able to beat Tyrone in Croke park in those big games in 03. 05 and 08 still rankles with them down in Kerry. Biggest regret I have with Donegal is we didn't beat them in that '14 final, we played absolute rubbish that day, still though that's sport, you have to do it on the day. Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3032 - 30/12/2023 19:49:10 2517898 Link
Replying To Tirchonaill1: "I read Tomás Ó Sé's 'The White heat' book recently, I didn't like it at all, half of it was rambling on about his uncle Paidi and it was all very repetitive. One things for sure, not being able to beat Tyrone in Croke park in those big games in 03. 05 and 08 still rankles with them down in Kerry. Biggest regret I have with Donegal is we didn't beat them in that '14 final, we played absolute rubbish that day, still though that's sport, you have to do it on the day." Reading the one about the sports GAA grounds at present by Humphrey Kelleher. Enjoying it. Suppose being from the north neither realised how impressive pairc Caoimhe was. 101 grounds profiled. Some are basic enough with no stands at all. dunaval_gael (Down) - Posts: 43 - 30/12/2023 20:41:43 2517902 Link
Replying To Tirchonaill1: "I read Tomás Ó Sé's 'The White heat' book recently, I didn't like it at all, half of it was rambling on about his uncle Paidi and it was all very repetitive. One things for sure, not being able to beat Tyrone in Croke park in those big games in 03. 05 and 08 still rankles with them down in Kerry. Biggest regret I have with Donegal is we didn't beat them in that '14 final, we played absolute rubbish that day, still though that's sport, you have to do it on the day." I agree about OSé book, it was mostly irrelevant nonsense, anecdotes etc. As for the Tyrone thing, I've read both O Sé books, Aidan O Mahony and the gooches, hoping to get their thoughts on that rivalry and from what I remember only Gooch was willing to talk about tyrone in any real detail, (I don't think O Mahony even mentions them). Galway9801 (Galway) - Posts: 1942 - 30/12/2023 21:10:58 2517904 Link