Gaelic Games

Keith Dugganreview's the year's best GAA books

Dublin v Kerry (Tom Humphries, Penguin, €22.95)

This is a hugely enjoyable salute to what is arguably the most enduring and glamorous rivalry in Gaelic games. It is certainly Humphries's contention that the drama and quality of those matches in the middle and late 1970s were the salvation of the GAA, then a largely rural and unfashionable organisation. And there is no doubt the feats of both teams, the characters and several of the sequences of play have magnified rather than diminished as decades have passed.

It was a classic rivalry, one of country fire and urban ice. Exceptional men led the teams: Kevin Heffernan of St Vincent's and the seemingly ageless Waterville man Mick O'Dwyer.

There is the sense that as the Kerry team circa 1975 began to explore the astonishing depths of their greatness, they bought in somewhat obediently to O'Dwyer's regime. Heffernan, though, presided over a fascinatingly diverse group: free-thinkers, stubborn and, in the best sense, arrogant. And because Heffernan moved in such mysterious ways, cagey and aloof and brilliant, he was able to control what could have been an explosive dynamic. And it would seem the Dubs, 30 years on, remain a tighter bunch.

It is easy to see why Dublin fans whose rites of passage coincided with the Heffernan era have never quite gotten over it. The anecdotes and warmth in this wonderful and heartening book about a rich chapter in Irish life are of universal interest, and by the time you reach the last pages it comes as something of a surprise and disappointment to remember that all of this happened years ago and that those princes of the 1970s will not grace Croke Park again. Except, probably, for O'Dwyer.

Every Single Ball: The Brian Corcoran Story(Kieran Shannon, Mainstream, €14.99)

The rebirth of the 1990s Cork hurling and football natural into a seasoned and accomplished full forward was central to the return to eminence of the Rebel hurlers.

Corcoran retired after the Leesiders' drive for a three-in-a-row failed last September against Kilkenny. As Kieran Shannon acknowledges in his foreword, one of the problems of collaborating with Corcoran for a personal story is that through 15 years at the pinnacle of Gaelic sport, the big man remained steadfastly modest and polite. Shannon, though, has an excellent record in coaxing his subjects into telling their story honestly and this book enhances that fine reputation.

There is no question Corcoran was a sporting phenomenon and a source of Corkonian pride through several bleak years. And perhaps his sessions with Shannon have had a cathartic effect because Corcoran uncharacteristically berated the Cork county board at the launch of this book and seems to have provoked anger in Waterford with his revelations of the Rebel mindset during the recent All-Ireland semi-final.

Certainly, it cannot be nice for Waterford folk to read that Cork saw them as seeking to make history in their own county while they, chasing down the three-in-a-row, wanted to make history in the game.

But it is hardly the most poisonous thought to filter through a GAA dressing-room and it represents a valuable insight into how one of the most focused teams of the modern era steeled themselves for their nerveless second-half victories.

And it should be remembered: Cork won that day. Whatever works, works. And if that means Waterford will be banging Corcoran's life story against a dressing-room wall next summer, so be it.

The Cork legend will probably be happy as long as they buy it.

Club, Sweat And Tears(Diarmuid O'Flynn, Collins, €14.95)

The importance of the club to the GAA has become standard marketing blarney. But it is also true, and the identity of many communities revolves around GAA clubs. This book charts the unprecedented rise of Newtownshandrum, with a population of just 800, to their recent All-Ireland triumph. It was a labour of love (and some envy) for O'Flynn, who hurled against Newtown for many years, and - in this fine, original book - he appreciates the role of families like the Morrisseys and the O'Connors in strengthening the club ethos.

An Illustrated History of the GAA(Eoghan Corry, Gill & Macmillan €16.90)

A lush production trawling through the last century of GAA activity, with great archive photographs and souvenir reproductions as well as a clearly presented account of the evolution of the association.

The Dubs: Dublin GAA since the 1940s(Seán Óg Ó Ceallacháin Gill & Macmillan €19.99)

The great broadcaster, whose Gaelic Sports Results is now the longest-running radio show in history, examines the state of the games in his native county since the second World War.

A former Dublin hurler and footballer, Ó Ceallacháin is well placed to observe the highs and lows. He pays particular attention to the Heffernan years and the riveting Meath-Dublin series in 1991, which was the focus of a recent Sideline Productions documentary DVD and, like the Dublin-Kerry rivalry, seems to become more meaningful and unbelievable as time passes.

Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh: From Booroloola to Mangerton Mountain(Penguin €28.50)

In this companion piece to his autobiography, the much-loved broadcaster recalls places he visited and characters he met as he drove around the country covering Gaelic games for RTÉ over the past 50 years. This is a rich narrative with great images, particularly that of the author on top of Mount Brandon with the Ó Cinnéide men and a certain silver cup.

Seán Boylan: The Will to Win(O'Brien €24.95)

Another giant of the game, the Dunboyne herbalist stepped down after almost 25 years of guiding Meath to tremendous success. Boylan talks about the granite teams he trained over the years and also explores, as a herbalist of national renown, more spiritual themes.