Booked

Des Bishop says the Irish are only happy when they're miserable. Maybe that explains why some of the best selling pieces of Irish literature feature horrid stories of war, religious misdemeanours, battles with alcohol and other struggles and continue to entice us to turn the page. G.A.A. books are no different and are being delivered all over the country at a frantic rate in recent weeks.

These books aren't like books about other sports. They are differentiated by the real life element which is sorely lacking from other codes which have morphed into a form of sports entertainment and moved away from the ideals from which they grew.

Pick up any G.A.A. book and you will read about sacrifice, hardship & difficulties managing family, money, work etc. There will be stories of struggles with administrators, teammates, managers and supporters. The player doesn't live the pampered lifestyle enjoyed by those across the water or those on the Southside of the Liffey. He lives life; all aspects of it.

I particularly enjoyed Davy Fitz's book. Especially the story about breaking onto the Clare panel as a young fella. He used to get up at the crack of dawn every morning and cycle to a certain spot on the road to Shannon. He'd bait the sliotar against the wall until the Clare keeper at the time passed on his way to work. Once he had, Davy would hop back on the bike and head home for breakfast before leaving for work himself. He was chipping away at his mind. Others like Charlie Carter, Brian Corcoran, Dessie Farrell all had stories worth reading regardless of what you think about them or the counties from which they hail.

I've only read the extracts in the newspapers from the recent publications but in keeping with my habit of expressing an opinion on a range of topics I may know very little about, I will do so about some of the latest editions.

First up is Brian Cody's. No interest. I imagine it to be dry, clinical and lacking in depth. Great respect for the man but does he lift the lid on Charlie Carter or any other rows which inevitably occurred along the way? Not from what I hear.

Tadhg. Oh darling Tadgh! Will he be run all the way back to Sydney after his admission to doing a job on Nicolas Murphy in the AI Final? He offended a lot of football folk both in Kerry and across the County bounds. Folk who were proud of the untarnished honest endeavour which has characterised the fixture through the ages. I'll buy it though. He went to Oz and made it in an environment which has caused so many others to pack their bags. He must have something about him to stick it out.

Donal Og. His 'shock' revelation shouldn’t have really been a shock. We all heard the rumours, just didn't believe a Hurler would have such a declaration to make. As his brother said to his father though, 'that'll broaden your mind'. I'm totally opposed to Donal Og's militant approach to items like the strikes but I've total respect for his passion for hurling. He trained his club to a couple of County finals while still in his mid-twenties. He had them up at the crack of dawn when, of all people, he didn't have much spare time on his hands.

Billy Morgan. The man is an icon. Growing up, he was Cork football to all of us. As I read on a forum last week, if blood was blue, Billy would still bleed red. I hear the writing is kind of simple but Billy is a raw kind of guy so I expect it to contain some great tales. I'm especially looking forward to reading about his club Nemo. I think they are a fantastic club and what their inter-county stars put back in after they retire is admirable.

Micky Harte is Micky Harte. A bit of a revolutionary. I read his last book, a diary of the 2003 (?) All-Ireland success. The Nordies brought training to a new level in the last decade and he was one of the leaders in this field. He is an inspiring character.

However, the book I expect to top my list is called 'Working on a Dream'. It follows the Division 4 Waterford footballers around every twist and turn on the backroads of the All-Ireland football Championship. Led by the maverick character that is John Kiely, you can be sure the stories will be plentiful and filled with colour. I saw them play Cork in May in Dungarvan and you'd never believe he was an inter county manager as he trapsed across the pitch in his work boots, jeans and Waterford rugby style top.

We can all relate to these lads. You only play for Waterford footballers if you really love the game and your County. There's nothing sexy about playing the likes of Kilkenny in football's basement battles. They plough on with great endeavour though, despite the impoverished conditions which they are often exposed too. The purity of their approach and their love for Waterford is summed up for me in one passage. In the book, player Cillian O'Keeffe, recalls receiving a circular email from Donal Og. It was at the height of the Cork strike and sought to rally support for the players from their GPA colleagues around the country. O'Keeffe emailed a response: "Stop sending me this rubbish. Either go back and play with your county or retire!"

They all promise to be thoroughly enjoyable reads, giving us real insight into the life of an inter county player and the struggles attached. I'll buy them all, but Cody can wait another year.