Semple Stadium

Semple Stadium
Author: Liam Ó Donnchú
Publisher: O'Brien Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-09-20
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9781788492287

A richly illustrated history of the home of hurling from its opening in 1910 right up to now. The building and development of the stadium, major games, significant players and managers, broadcasting from the grounds, the work of the groundsmen, other events held at the stadium and more.

A Place to Play

A Place to Play
Author: Humphrey Kelleher
Publisher: Merrion Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2023-10-26
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1785374818

In every province and county in Ireland, GAA grounds are cornerstones of culture and community. They are imbued with history and their terraces echo with the sounds of decades, even centuries, of spirited sporting battles. In this book, the first of its kind, Humphrey Kelleher has created a vibrant record of 101 GAA county grounds in every corner of the country. Each GAA ground featured has served as a county ground at some stage in its lifetime. Named for saints, landowners, political figures and more, every one has a unique and absorbing history. Alongside this fascinating information, the author chronicles the development of the grounds over the years, and the often surprising ways that funds were raised to do so. All thirty-two counties feature, and it doesn’t stop there; the book also takes us to London and to New York, where the grounds reflect the lasting and far-reaching influence of the GAA beyond these borders. With stunning new aerial drone photography by the author, this exceptional book offers an insightful new perspective on the places our GAA clubs and counties call home.

All on the Line

All on the Line
Author: Padraic Maher
Publisher: Hachette Books Ireland
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2022-11-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1399714082

'One for the hurling fan, and for all those who appreciate the sacrifices involved in a 100% commitment to team and tribe' RTÉ Guide Pádraic Maher is one of the greatest hurlers of his generation and an icon in his beloved Tipperary. Winner of three All-Ireland senior hurling medals and six All-Star awards, Maher was one of Tipperary's key men for over a decade while with his club, Thurles Sarsfields, he ignited a revival that led to seven county titles. Born into a passionate GAA family, hurling was Maher's life. Until, in spring 2022, he was forced into a shock early retirement. Here, he looks at the events leading up to the injury that ended his career and takes us back through his life with hurling to give an honest and down-to-earth account of the sport, the club and the county that means so much to him. From being a central figure in the great Tipperary-Kilkenny rivalry, to the unforgettable trilogy of Tipperary-Galway All-Ireland semi-finals, to his side of one of hurling's most famous tackles, All on the Line gives an unforgettable insight into the commitment it takes to be a GAA player in modern Ireland, and the passion this great hurler holds for his club and county.

Life in the Old Dogs Yet: a short amble in Ireland

Life in the Old Dogs Yet: a short amble in Ireland
Author: Richard Guise
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2016-06-21
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1326689894

Four English blokes of a certain age strike out from their Leicestershire local and head for the hills of the Dingle Peninsula. This laugh-out-loud tale of their short amble on the wild west coast of Ireland is packed with character and characters, beer and banter, daftness and a dolphin.

All In My Head

All In My Head
Author: Lar Corbett
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2012-10-25
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1448152216

For Tipperary hurling, defeat in the 2012 All-Ireland semi-final was heartbreaking. For Lar Corbett, it was devastating. Then again it has never been a straight road for the three-time All-star and 2010 ‘Player of the Year’. Deemed not good enough to play for Tipperary at minor level, he was nineteen before his unique talent was identified by Nicky English who gave Lar his chance in the All-Ireland winning squad of 2001. But this success was to be followed by years of despair as Tipperary hurling floundered, managers came and went, and a recurring hamstring condition left his career hanging in the balance. The turning point came in 2007 with the arrival of the ‘dream team’ of Liam Sheedy, Eamon O’Shea and Michael Ryan. Encouraged to play more freely and to exploit his explosive pace, Lar soon became one of the most lethal forwards in the game. His three-goal blitz against Kilkenny in the 2010 All Ireland final is the stuff of legend. Following defeat in the 2011 All-Ireland final, Lar stepped away from the game in February 2012 but was ultimately persuaded to return for the championship. Then came the disastrous semi-final where tactical changes kept Lar largely out of the game and provoked unprecedented criticism from media and fans alike. In All In My Head, Lar offers a unique insight into what happened on that day and over the turbulent year leading up to it. This honest and revealing autobiography is a must-read for all fans of the sport of hurling.

It's Marty!

It's Marty!
Author: Marty Morrissey
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2021-10-21
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1844885682

Marty Morrissey - GAA broadcaster extraordinaire and one of the hardest-working people in show business - has been to every corner of Ireland (and a few interesting ones further afield) in his illustrious career. Everywhere he goes, he makes friends and hears terrific stories - and sometimes he becomes a character in them. Now he's sharing them with us, in a book full of his trademark warmth, wit and energy. Starting with his childhood in the Bronx and west Clare, Marty introduces us to the people and places that have mattered most to him. He takes us through his adventures as a Gaelic footballer and hurler, schoolteacher, and coach of schools teams and underage sides for his beloved club, Kilmurry Ibrickane. And he tells the story of his remarkable rise as a broadcaster, from the back of tractors and trailers flatbed trucks to Croke Park on All Ireland finals days - despite having being told by RTÉ Sport that his voice on an early audition tape was 'too thin, too high-pitched'. Now, having established himself as a beloved figure across the full spectrum of the Irish airwaves, Marty is ready to show us who he really is. It's Marty! is an invitation to join the Marty Party, a rollicking ride through contemporary Irish life and sport, from a true national treasure. _______________________ 'There's a lot of craic and a lot of warmth in it' Newstalk 'Fantastic!' 2FM Breakfast 'A really good read . . . honest and really funny' Miriam O'Callaghan

The Hurlers

The Hurlers
Author: Paul Rouse
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2018-09-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1844884406

In 1882, a letter was published in the Irish Times, lamenting the decline of hurling. The game was now played only in a few isolated rural pockets, and according to no fixed set of rules. It would have been absurd to imagine that, within five years, an all-Ireland hurling championship would be underway, under the auspices of a powerful national organization. The Hurlers is a superbly readable account of that dramatic turn of events, of the colourful men who made it happen, and of the political intrigues and violent rows that marked the early years of the GAA. From the very start, republican and ecclesiastical interests jockeyed for control, along with a small core of enthusiasts who were just in it for the sport. In this authoritative and seriously entertaning book, Paul Rouse shows how sport, culture and politics swirled together in a heady, often chaotic mix. 'Fascinating ... a brilliantly researched book on hurling in the early years of the GAA' Martin Breheny, Irish Independent 'I heartily recommend it. Great picture of the emergence of modern Ireland amidst sport, nationalism, priests and assorted crazy hotheads ... Brilliant stuff' Dara Ó Briain 'A story of pioneerism, passion, intrigue, skulduggery and commitment ... a must read for the many sports, and particularly hurling, supporters and admirers in today's version of Ireland' Irish Times 'Terrific' Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner 'Brilliantly entertaining ... not just the gripping account of that first championship, but also of how the game of hurling itself was saved in the 1880s from what seemed certain extinction' Sunday Independent 'A brilliant piece of work' Matt Cooper 'Both a sports and a history book, full of wonderful stories from a different time, with tales of passion, skullduggery and controversy, played out against the backdrop of what could be described as a civil war within the GAA and a land war that threatened to rip the country apart' RTÉ Culture 'Fascinating' Frank McNally, Irish Times 'A page turner that continues to deliver chapter after chapter ... The Hurlers is a must read' Limerick Leader 'A superbly readable account ... an authoritative and seriously entertaining book' Ireland's Own 'The perfect read for a brilliant hurling year' Caitriona Lally, Irish Independent Top Books of 2018 'A vital look into the early years of the GAA and a perfect gift for both sport and history lovers' Mark Gallagher, Mail on Sunday Books of 2018 'Marries forensic historical research of the cultural and political contexts for the emergence of modern hurling with a polished style and storytelling ability that is rare among historians' Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times Books of 2018 'Flows along far more merrily and lightly than any history book has a right to and is especially enlightening when it comes to drawing the founding fathers Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times, Sports Books of 2018 'Marvellous ... the definitive account of this remarkable period when hurling came to life' Clonmel Nationalist 'Brilliant' Kenny Archer, Irish News

From Borroloola to Mangerton Mountain

From Borroloola to Mangerton Mountain
Author: Micheal O Muircheartaigh
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2007-05-31
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0141911646

Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh is best known as the voice of the GAA. But his interests and enthusiasms – sporting and non-sporting – go far beyond the fields of Gaelic games. In his new book, the follow-up to his bestselling memoir From Dún Síon to Croke Park, Micheál brings us along on his travels around the world, and to the villages, townlands and sporting fields of the four provinces of Ireland. He recalls great days at the races and in sporting stadiums big and small, and great nights in the dance halls. Above all, he tells the stories of these places and the people he has encountered there – stories told as only Micheál can tell them.

The Little Book of GAA Facts

The Little Book of GAA Facts
Author: Eddie Ryan
Publisher: Mercier Press Ltd
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2014-09-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1781172900

Did you know that in 1924, Mick Gill created history by winning two All-Ireland Senior Hurling medals in the same year and for different counties? Jack Lynch is the only player in GAA history to have won six successive All-Ireland medals (five in hurling). The 2013 All-Ireland Hurling Final was the first to be played under flood-lights, exactly 100 years after Croke Park was first purchased. Do you know the name of every inter-county ground in Ireland? Who was full forward on the team of the Millenium? Who was the 1,000th All Star Award winner? In 'The Little Book of GAA Facts', Eddie Ryan has gathered together a treasure trove of knowledge about a nation's passion. The book charts the history of Gaelic games, blending amazing stories and unique facts, records and outstanding achievements.