The Double: :How Cork Made GAA History
The Double: :How Cork Made GAA History
paperback
Published:
10 September, 2019
paperback
Published:
10 September, 2019
Standard worldwide delivery by
Mon, June 22 - Wed, July 1
Order within
0
Popular Books by Adrian Russell
View All Books by Adrian Russell
Description
The greatest achievement in GAA history finally gets its due: Adrian Russell's The Double is a singular triumph. - Michael Moynihan
On 16 September 1990, Cork’s footballers ran out on the Croke Park pitch chasing immortality. The Rebel County hurlers, watching on from the Hogan Stand in suits, had won an unlikely All-Ireland a fortnight earlier; their thrilling final victory over Galway capped a hugely fun come-from-nowhere season. Now, if Billy Morgan’s footballers could overcome their rivals in Meath, they’d secure sporting history for the county; a Senior All-Ireland double.
After hitting a historically low ebb the previous year, the hurlers arrived with a bang led by a hurling fanatic priest. Fr Michael O’Brien built his by plucking players from relative obscurity, coaxing old stars back into action and trusting young guns to make a name for themselves.
Billy Morgan’s footballers, meanwhile, were a tight-knit, well-travelled side by the summer of 1990. A cast of strong characters, including Larry Tompkins, Niall Cahalane and Dave Barry, who trained hard and partied just as hard, they ended Kerry football's hopes, before running into the Meath machine. Cork were defending champions but questions remained: could they back it up when the pressure was piled on by the hurlers’ success?
In a long summer that saw the nation celebrate Ireland’s Italia ’90 success, Cork made its own sporting history. The Double is the story of how they pulled it off.
On 16 September 1990, Cork’s footballers ran out on the Croke Park pitch chasing immortality. The Rebel County hurlers, watching on from the Hogan Stand in suits, had won an unlikely All-Ireland a fortnight earlier; their thrilling final victory over Galway capped a hugely fun come-from-nowhere season. Now, if Billy Morgan’s footballers could overcome their rivals in Meath, they’d secure sporting history for the county; a Senior All-Ireland double.
After hitting a historically low ebb the previous year, the hurlers arrived with a bang led by a hurling fanatic priest. Fr Michael O’Brien built his by plucking players from relative obscurity, coaxing old stars back into action and trusting young guns to make a name for themselves.
Billy Morgan’s footballers, meanwhile, were a tight-knit, well-travelled side by the summer of 1990. A cast of strong characters, including Larry Tompkins, Niall Cahalane and Dave Barry, who trained hard and partied just as hard, they ended Kerry football's hopes, before running into the Meath machine. Cork were defending champions but questions remained: could they back it up when the pressure was piled on by the hurlers’ success?
In a long summer that saw the nation celebrate Ireland’s Italia ’90 success, Cork made its own sporting history. The Double is the story of how they pulled it off.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9781781175989 |
| ISBN10 | 1781175985 |
| Number Of Pages | 288 |
| Item Weight | 1000 g |
| Publisher / Reseller | The Mercier Press |
| Format | paperback |
See More +
Media Reviews
One of the greatest Irish sporting stories finally gets the brilliant book it deserves. A forensic and entertaining trip through a championship season like no other, it has the narrative arc of a Marvel comic epic albeit with a peculiarly Cork cast of superheroes named Billy, Larry and Teddy. We all know how it ends yet Adrian Russell retraces the undulating journey in such gripping detail that you will savour every single step. - Davey Hannigan
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Adrian Russell is the editor of the popular sports news site The42.ie. He has also worked as a sports journalist with the Irish Examiner and Today FM. He has an MA in Journalism from DCU and this is his first book.