Miscellaneous

New Kerry GAA book is a real gem

April 4th, 2006
by Weeshie Fogarty

 Visit one of the big book shops anywhere in the country or here at home in Kerry, study the rows of magazines on the shelves and from a sporting perspective the first thing that strikes you is the vast array of reading material in particular soccer magazines available. Last week I did just that and I counted something like thirty five different magazines devoted entirely to soccer. Ireland, Europe, clubs in England Scotland and Wales are all featured and now with the world cup just around the corner a huge amount of reading material is available on players and country's ready to take part in this massive event.

Now let me emphasis straight away that I have nothing what so ever against soccer or that vast amount of reading material available not alone in the magazines but in all the national and local print media. I confess to being an avid reader of all sports books and as a teenager in the fifties I was a monthly reader of the one and only soccer magazine on sale at that time namely, "Charles Bucham Football Monthly". How things have changed in the intervening years. The blanket coverage of sports on TV is a column for another Tuesday.

Returning to that news shop visit, my interest immediately turned to the GAA publications on sale and in this particular outlet there were just three magazines devoted to our national games. So what exactly is the point of this exercise? Well for a start the GAA in my opinion is well behind soccer where publications are concerned and when you fall behind in public relations and other sports continually bombard the youth with their particular message then in the long run you are sure to lose out.

Is it not time that at local, provincial and national level the GAA should come together and publish newsletters, more magizanes and other reading material on a fairly regular basis, i.e. quarterly or half yearly. In the fifties and sixties a weekly Gaelic Games newspaper was on sale nationwide and was a great success. Surly the time is ripe for a similar paper, and with the vast amount of money being generated by our games, finance should not be the problem. I do know that in Ulster such a paper is on sale. Money for trips abroad, lavish televised gala nights, land purchase, fund raising, opening up Croke Park, sponsorship etc. etc. money no problem there. Can you even imagne a monthly or quarterly publication here in Kerry dealing with all aspects of our games, this county is blessed with some outstanding PRO and they could be utilized on a far greater scale. My great friend and a fantastic PRO for his North Kerry division Jack Hennessy recently retired from that position, one of the truly unsung heroes of the association his marvellous work as public relations officer was well above and beyond the call of duty. His yearly North Kerry final programme was as good as you would see anywhere in the country. There are many more like Jack Hennessy, and here in East Kerry John o Leary is as efficient as dedicated as you would find in a days march. With the proper back up and generous sponsorship they with others would be more than capable of delivering a regular Kerry GAA publication.

Now to the nub of story, The Kerry GAA Year Book, 2006. It is this that sparked off my views on publications and last Monday week on my Radio Kerry programme Terrace Talk we unofficially launched what is a superb publication. Now when I say we I mean the author of this latest GAA gem, Sylvester Hennessey came into studio and informed the listeners that the book was completed and in the bookshops.

I believe it was thirty one years ago, 1975 when the first ever Kerry GAA year book was published and that great South Kerry and Valentia Island servant Michael Lyne was the man who took on the task and brought out the publication. He continued doing so until some years ago and those books are now a collector's item and Michael captured a huge chunk of Kerry GAA history in the years he was involved with those wonderful publications. Now a new man has taken up the baton and he like his predecessor has done a magnificent job.

The latest addition has something for everyone and Sylvester Hennessy has literally covered every major GAA event from January to December, not alone that but he has also captured the historic All Ireland Junior win by Ardfert which ran right into this year And what makes this book so unique in many ways for me anyway is the fact that Finuge's memorable All Ireland win is side by side with Ardferts. Two club All Ireland wins in the same publication, and throw in Abbydorney Ladies All Ireland victory for added enjoyment, when will we see all this again, and you have something very special captured for posterity. Hurling on all fronts is featured; the editor is steeped in hurling. Willie Dowling and all the great hurling men of the county will be delighted with this. Kerry ladies football gets lavish coverage as of course do all the Kerry county championships in both coads. South Kerry who brought off the great treble is prominent .Scor, Handball, Kerry colleges, GAA in the Middle East. This is an unusual one as a Kerry man is the driving force out there. Kerry minors under 21, and junior footballers, you have it all in this lavish and colorful Year Book.

The editor has gone to great lengths to do full justice to the county and the main features in the Year Book make for captivating reading. Sylvester has scooped some lovely intimate interviews with Colm Cooper, Declan o Sullivan and Dara o Cinneide. These in themselves each one comprising of two full pages are worth purchasing the book for. The late Noel Kennelly and Siobhan Cotter are beautifully remembered in special tributes while there is a full feature on Sydney Swan star Tadge Kennelly. A fascinating kick by kick statistical analysis of last years defeat by Tyrone in the All Ireland Final is a must in itself for the hurlers on the ditch, or should I say the footballers on the ditch. Did you know, well I didn't, that Kerry won the mid field battle in that game. They won possession from the kick out on 26 occasions out of a possible total of 45 and Dara o Se handled the ball thirty nine times which was nine times more than his nearest Kerry colleague, brother Tomas. Kerry lost possession in the tackle 16 times, very significant this, and they misdirected forward passes 21 times. It's all in the Kerry Year book and much much more about that loss to Mickey Hart's men

But it's the photographs that copper fasten this beautiful production. I spotted Sylvester at every game I attended last year and he had the camera slung over the shoulder at all times,( except of course when he was capturing the moment). Teams, individuals, action, personalities, presentations, referees, tears, happiness, downtown Abu Dhabi, all in beautiful glossy color. Kerry men, women and children captured by the all seeing lens for posterity. One beautiful shot captures an emotional Paul Galvin embracing colleague Kieran Dowling following Lixnaw hurling county championship victory

What about this little gem just added casually to the end of a page of photographs which feature the Abu Dhabi ladies and men's GAA teams. Did you know? Prior to 2005 when Dara o Cinneide and Thomas o Se obliged with two excellent goals, John Joe Sheehan was the most recent Kerry player to score a goal for Kerry in a losing All Ireland final and that was against Meath in the 1954 All Ireland loss to meath.

The author spent the day of last years county final with Radio Kerry match commentator Liam Higgins and myself in the press box in Fitzgerald's Stadium, documenting our every move and word, without in any way being the slightest intrusive. It has resulted in a lovely two page spread of what Sylvester recorded of the day, complete with photographs. I must admit both of us were very flattered that he would go to so much trouble on our behalf and we appreciate that he has included this little tribute in his first GAA production. Not forgetting that Minister for Arts Sports and Tourism John O Donoghue and County board chairman Sean Walsh both have penned forwards for the book.

The editor Sylvester Hennessy is native of Rathhnure Co Wexford. He grew up in a parish steeped in the traditions of the GAA. And that great club contested six All Ireland Club finals and counted The Rackards, The Quigleys, The Codds and Jim English among its former star players. Sylvester spend the latter part of his teenage years in Kerry where he hurled for Abbydorney and Kerry at under age level. He won championship, league, Munster and All Ireland medals in his time with club and county. He hurled with the Cork IT side, studied accounting in Cork before going on to work in the financial industry. He works as a journalist in Kerry, has attended a course in media studies and has produced a number of sports related publications. He is probably better known as a golf writer and this is his first venture to the world of GAA publication and if one is to judge on this Year Book it certainly will not be his last. His recent statistical in-depth analysis on Kerry matches on my Radio Kerry Terrace Talk show has made fascinating listening and has sparked some very favorable comment.

The publication is a give a-away at 10 euros. Go out and buy two and send one to family or friends abroad. I have already sent on to Mons. Liam Brosnan the great Killarney GAA historian in San Antonia Texas, and one to my sister Sheila Mulholland in Birmingham for her family. Well done to the editor he certainly has done The Kingdom a great service. His predecessor Michael Lyne of Valentia would be proud of this.

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