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This is the Life
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  • Published: 9 June 2024
  • ISBN: 9780241997697
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 256
  • RRP: $26.99
Categories:

This is the Life

Days and Nights in the GAA

Formats & editions
EBook
21 Sept 2023
Audiobook
21 Sept 2023
Paperback
9 June 2024
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A provocative look at how grassroots GAA interacts with life in Ireland, from the wittiest Gaelic games pundit at work today

The GAA is Ireland's largest civil society organisation, woven into the fabric of families and communities - and yet most books about Gaelic games focus on the greatest players and inter-county teams. This is the Life is a book about the 99%: a witty and provocative look at grassroots GAA from the most intelligent and interesting Gaelic games pundit at work today.

Ciarán Murphy - of Second Captains and the Irish Times - has an unmatched feel for the timeless elements of this world and a finger on the pulse of change. He looks at the plight of rural clubs that are losing their players to the cities - and he does so not only as a journalist but as a footballer who made the same move himself. He writes about working as an assistant in the clothing shop owned by the family of Jarlath Fallon - both Ciarán's sporting hero and the local postman. And he looks a things we usually prefer not to talk about, like the role of social class in the GAA.

This is the Life is a book about the places the GAA comes from, the places it can take a person, and theings that make a local club worth fighting for.
  • Published: 9 June 2024
  • ISBN: 9780241997697
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 256
  • RRP: $26.99
Categories:

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Praise for This is the Life

Terrific . . . one of the most enjoyable sports books I've come across in a long time

Matt Cooper, The Last Word With Matt Cooper, Today FM

Brilliantly written . . . an absolute joy to read

The Irish Sun

What makes this book so different to the plethora of GAA tomes is [how] this chronicles life for the rest of us . . . Murphy makes you realise that everyday GAA experiences are unique

Irish Independent

A revelation . . . This is the Life indeed

Irish Examiner

Captures the history of the GAA, the heights it can propel regular people to, and what makes a local club so important

Sunday World

There is a deep understanding of the way the GAA works at every level … a brilliant read from start to finish

Paul Rouse, Irish Examiner