Four Cavan stories selected for landmark GAA book

Four stories from County Cavan have been selected to appear in a fascinating new book on the GAA – written by people at the heart of the association nationwide.

‘Grassroots: Stories From The Heart Of The GAA’, is a treasure trove of GAA memories, tales and incidents spanning over 150 years.

“The book generated an incredible response from every county in Ireland, as well as from the Irish abroad,” said author and journalist, PJ Cunningham, who collaborated with Croke Park on the publication.

“I have included stories not only since the GAA’s foundation in 1884, but from before, through to the Civil War and up to modern times.

“The collection is, in essence, the first time that this rich oral tradition of sideline and on-field stories have been put together and published in this form.

“It provides snapshots into the history of the GAA, recounted by the people at the heart of the action, whether those stories are happy or sad, dramatic or ordinary.”

Volume 1 has just been published and such was the response from the GAA community that work has already begun on a second collection.

The first edition includes stories from the rich history of Cavan GAA. Former Ulster medal winner Declan Coyle recalls his time as a priest out in the Far East when the thudding sound of a young boy kicking a ball against the gable-end of a wall evoked memories of Sundays in Dungimmon or Breffni Park.

Meanwhile, Ballymachugh native Pat Lynch vividly recalls how, as a young boy, he listened to Michael O’Hehir’s commentary on Cavan’s famous 1947 All Ireland victory over Kerry at New York’s Polo Grounds.

Anglo-Celt journalist Paul Fitzpatrick provides a humorous and beautifully crafted vignette involving Phil ‘The Gunner’ Brady, while author and GAA man extraordinaire George Cartwright takes us behind the intense Cornafean-Slashers rivalry, which ultimately drove Cavan onto national pre-eminence in the last century.

Other contributors to the book include former Irish soccer international Niall Quinn, Meath legends Sean Boylan and Bernard Flynn, Tony O’Hehir, son of the legendary Michael O’Hehir, former Galway hurling captain Joe Connolly, Dublin star of the nineties Keith Barr, ex-Armagh player and manager Joe Kernan and RTÉ hurling analyst and former Offaly star, Michael Duignan.

“The folklore and stories that built up around our games are part of the reason that the organisation occupies such a special place in Irish society,” said GAA President, Larry McCarthy.

“The GAA has always been about more than just games, it is part of what we are.”

If you have a GAA anecdote or story you would like to share for Volume 2, contact PJ Cunningham at 086-8217631 or at: pj@gaastories.ie.