GAA Books

cms88

I recently read ''Unlimited Heartbreak'' about Limerick hurling. My god it give you a very good insight into why they went so long without winning anything. I don't think iv heard so many excuses spanning decades for why they never won anything!

What do people think makes a good\bad GAA book?

Most players books are rarely good more over the top names. Darragh O Se's is up there with being the worst along with Brian Codys. I tink the issue is often most of them have very little of interest to talk about.

Paul Gavlins is quite good as he wrote it himself but also he didn't come the normal route for a Kerry players.

The one about the Waterford footballers is actually also quite good as it's a side to intercounty that's never really looked at.

kksaints

Paul Rouse's GAA books: The GAA A people's history and The GAA county by county are both very good. Humphrey Kelleher's book on GAA grounds is also well worth getting. I always find autobiographies tend to the boring side unless the person has a truly unique story. Cody's book in particular was poor and I hated the format with the diary pages mixed through it.

C4000

Jackie Tyrell's book was pretty good, gave plenty of insights into the Cody era.

Insect Overlord

I found Tony Griffin's memoir, "Screaming At The Sky", fascinating when I read it nearly 10 years ago.

lmk123

Unlimited Heartbreak was a class book IMO. Hopefully Henry Martin does a follow up book in a similar format in years to come. If you have any problems sleeping I’d recommend Dan Shanahans book if that doesn’t work I can guarantee John Hayes book will work.

C4000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122706308#Comment_122706308

The format was brilliant. He basically interviewed everyone that had any significant role in Limerick hurling over several decades and most of their contributions were completely unfiltered. My favourite extract is Tom Ryan recounting Houlihan's return from a broken jaw in 1996.......absolutely class.

breezy1985

Last Man Standing by Christy O'Connor.

A very good look at the position of goalkeeper with insights from all the 90's greats and various short biographies too. Some great stuff in it like a section on the Quaid's (Nicky shows up briefly as a child) and you get the determination and bitterness of Davy in his own miserable words. Goes well with Johnaton Wilson's Outsiders if soccer is your thing.

The GAA museum have an online shop which is worth checking out too OP.

https://gaa-museum-shop.myshopify.com/collections/books

chubba1984

The Bloodied Field, about Bloody Sunday, is a must read. Gives a great insight into the political situation of the country at the time, the players involved and gives the stories of the victims. Brilliantly put together.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122706074#Comment_122706074

The first 3/4 was good imo. The last part i thought was just him trying to justify ''playing on the edge''.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122706308#Comment_122706308

You can see why they went so long without winning anything. From the 40s it always seemed to be the same thing, if this or that happened we'd have won every All-Ireland.

It also shows how CBs can get in the way to things. Something that's still the case now!

I says

JCs book will be interesting. Does he go bland or leave it all out there.

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122708344#Comment_122708344

Oh 100%. When I was playing myself we were at that rubbish for years, if only we didn’t have this player injured or if we didn’t have as many wides, always a sob story, simple fact is we weren’t good enough. I just hope limerick doesn’t go back to our old ways when this bunch are finished.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122708825#Comment_122708825

It's not about this or that player injured though. It's about structures behind the scenes to maximise talent. Limerick are fairly solid proof of that and Cork since the 90's are a pretty good test case too.

MattressRick

Hurling: The Revolution Years is the best GAA book I've read. I had to buy a secondhand copy last year because I gave away the first one and it disappeared among relations. It's about the 90s, has a chapter about each team and it's all based on interviews with the players. Offaly players, Clare players talking about Loughnane and the training methods, Wexford, 98 with the Offaly and Clare and the Colin Lynch affair. It's outstanding. Denis Walsh wrote it.

Cody's book is the worst I've read. No surprise when it's him, along with Martin Breheny.

Kevin Walshs is dire too. Tries too hard to be a master coach instead of just telling his story. Couldn't even get to half way in his book

I heard Kieran Donaghys book is very good.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122719879#Comment_122719879

I was expecting a lo from Codys but it was just so boring. Darragh O Se's was very poor as well.

Donaghy is an interesting story in that he, like Galvin, didn't come the normal route into county football.

One that's actually quite good is Jimmy Deenihans book. It give a good look into how training methods changed in the 70s etc

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122719879#Comment_122719879

The Revolution Years is fantastic.

As for autobiographies I always try to stay away from them. Most sports people are just pretty normal and boring (not meant as an insult) outside of sport and GAA players even more so.

The only interesting ones are the pure misery stuff like Paul McGrath who was a full on alcoholic but at that stage they are gone way beyond a sports book.

Autobiographies are also serial offenders for having terrible titles. Very few exceptions.

Tombo2001

I'd say the best one's I have read are Philly McMahons & Shane Carthy (Dark Blue) though both debatably for non GAA reasons. Any parent should read Dark Blue.

Likewise, The Grass Ceiling by Eimear Ryan is a brilliant book and about a lot more than just the GAA, well worth reading and really well written. A lot of people writing about womens sport, and championing the fight for equality and so on, havent actually lived these experiences themselves - whereas this is someone who has.

An outlier that I enjoyed and found useful:The Players Advice by Sean O'Sulivan is good for anyone coaching.

Others

I've read a good few of the Kilkenny hurlers, Jackie Tyrrell, Henry Shefflin, Eoin Larkin. They were all worth reading. Likewise Brendan Cummins.

On the football side, Bernard Brogan decent, Pat Spillane's was good, Gooch's was very good, Donaghy's was very good.

Really enjoyed Mickey Harte's too, I just dont get why he is so disliked.

TBH I havent read many that were just super dull, they were all interesting enough.

Having said that, I dont really like the historical books - like the Hurlers by Paul Rouse I found a bit boring and makey-uppy.

Glenomra

Read Jack O'Connor's biography aa few years ago. Found it fascinating, loads of issues re Mick O'Dwyer's Waterville and the Kerry 'elite' etc. Honest. Two Tipperary hurling biographies. John Doyle of Holycross, big farmer, big ego, eight all-Ireland medals etc. Tipp, Tipp, Tipp. The Premier County!!!!!… with virtually no mention of any other counties apart from their peers, Cork and Kilkenny. A reminder of how great it is to see other hurling counties emerge in recent decades. In contrast Jimmy Doyle's story. A Thurles man, modest, shoemaker's son, a gentleman sublime hurler, no b*** s***.

Formosa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122708344#Comment_122708344

It was a really enjoyable read and a great structure to it, but by Jaysus, it was always someone or something elses fault…refs, cheating, weather…as some say about another sports team, "always the victim, never their fault".

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122721133#Comment_122721133

What strikes me is even going back to the 40s it was the same excuses being used. Going by some people in the book Limerick should have won every All-Ireland ever.

Another every common thing is there was a lot of lads playing for themselves. A lot of examples of lads claiming scores they may not have even scored.

Tom Ryan the manager in the 90s could get very personal at times about it.

The other thing from it even going back to the 40s is the very stereotypical CBs only being interested in money and looking after themselves.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122721103#Comment_122721103

The interesting thing about about JOC book looking back now everything he claimed he wasn't back then he has become in recent years.

It's also interesting how your view of someone cna change after reading a book about them. Brendan Cummins was one for me. Another man with a huge ego. Even today he still goes on about the Babs thing in 2007.

fire_man

I dont have much interest in JC book.He is on every TV & radio station in recent days but its not appealing to me.

MattressRick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122723490#Comment_122723490

Just started it. I expected a bit more of a bang at the start especially with Vincent Hogan. Very soft intro talking about babies, his wife etc. I like when books drop a great story at the start, then rewind to the begining and take it from there.

Treble double

Controversial but I think the air time and hype that Gaa players get is way over the top. Listening to Canning promoting his book is painful, the ego of the lad is mindblowing. Fair play to him he was blessed with unbelievable hand eye co ordination to excel in a stick and ball sport but he didn't invent the wheel. We don't need to know about his relationship with his family or what motivates him, its so boring and meaningless. Gaa players always going on about the sacrafices they make but what they put in relation to the press they get is tiny compared to every other sport. Canning saying he wouldn't have the motivation to do 5k runs on his own anymore. Recreational tri athletes would train 3 times harder than inter county players and they will never see a line in a paper. The O Donovan brothers in Skibereen probably train harder in a week than Gaa players do in a year but we don't hear any spew from them about sacrafice and slights and county boards not doing their stuff and they compete on a world stage not in a pocket of counties on a small island.

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122724481#Comment_122724481

GAA matters as it’s in every parish in the country. It’s our national sport the rest emerge from the shadows every so often and fair play to them but this is about GAA players books and their sacrifices in their lives. As for the rowers fair play to them but I’d rather be stuck in a lift with the boys from Dumb and Dumber than listen to those fellas.
Not every lad gets the chance to row from a young age but they get a chance to hurl or football at a very young age.

Treble double

Fair enough, but if I never read a Gaa players book again it will be too soon, thats coming from a Gaa person. Now a Paul O Donovan book that would be interesting.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122724481#Comment_122724481

Your post comes across as very weird and bitter to me. You seem angry at the GAA players for trying to sell their book rather than the media.

The media are just doing their job. Gaelic games are the most popular so will get the most coverage. I'de love to live in a world where Dam Martin's book got the same coverage as Joe Cannings but it's never gonna happen so get over it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122724612#Comment_122724612

Well unless you are a book editor or critic the simple solution is don't read the book. You say the above like you are being forced at gunpoint.

Treble double

I won't be reading it or any Gaa players book in the future, have read my share in the past and they are all mainly the same, mind numbingly boring, maybe thats where the bitter weird vibe comes from.

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122723490#Comment_122723490

It's a good example of a GAA book. He was a great player yes but people had know that since he was 15/16. The only thing i can think of that might be somewhat interesting is how he didn't join the Galway panel in 2007 after what happened him in the 06 county final.

pgj2015

Jim McGunness book (until victory always) is very good, a must read.

Straight Talker

I just got a copy of Brian Kelly's book about the 1959 Waterford team. It's very well put together, there's a list of every match Waterford played that year with team lineups and scorers included as well.

cms88

Richie Hogan has brought out a book. While he was a great player i just can't see anything out of the norm that would be in a book about him.

WHIP IT!

Agree that most GAA autobiographies tell ya nothing. Here's one I enjoyed - for the Dubs, mostly, but I think anyone would like it.

https://linktr.ee/unbeatabledubs?utm_source=linktree_profil

Charlo30

Most GAA autobiographies I've read have been pretty forgettable. One I would recommend is Dubs Sub Confidential by John Leonard. (If its still in print) A really good read. Although you probably wouldn't class it as a GAA book per say.

WHIP IT!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122932871#Comment_122932871

Definitely still available. Have seen it on shelves recently.

jim Dempsey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122908018#Comment_122908018

Seems like he has a huge ego listening to his promotional tour. Someone who fell out with Cody would have an interesting book to read but not sure which Kilkenny ex player would go down that route

Krazy gang

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122937146#Comment_122937146

Kilkenny man myself and I have little interest in reading richies book either. Himself and jc are on every podcast, radio and TV show.

One book I enjoyed was Micheal duignans, albeit some for sad reasons

cms88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122938064#Comment_122938064

One thing i would say that could be interesting with Joe Canning is there was pressure on him from a very young age to almost single bring success on his own at club and county level and see how he delt with that. Richie Hogan while there was some pressure on him to do the same just not at the same level.

With seeing anything about you can already tell the big story is more than likely going to be when he was sent off in the 2019 final.