Thanks to John Greene and The Sunday Independent for publishing this piece today about the darkness in sport and how we need to moderate our behaviour and manage our consumption: ‘Sport has given us so much, but maybe it’s time we thought more about what we watch.’ Here it is.
I was delighted to see an excerpt from my essay ‘Kisses’ from The Game in The Irish Times. Great photos by Daragh McSweeney and lovely illustrations by Fuchsia MacAree. You can read it here.
I really enjoyed my chat with PJ Coogan of Cork’s 96fm talking about the Game and the importance of sport in our lives. You can listen back here.
I really enjoyed my interview with Oliver Callan on the Ryan Tubridy Show about The Game. Oliver, producer Jack Murphy and everyone at Cork RTÉ studios couldn’t have been more professional and nicer. You can listen back to it here (18 minutes).
This review of The Game in The Irish Times by Rory Kiberd blew me away. An extract: “This multi-faceted book ponders how sport teaches us about our own limitations, how winning is foundational on losing, losers being in far greater supply than winners; how defeats and victories are ephemeral. All lessons essential to life. Indeed, sport is like a more concentrated version of life, a microcosmic intensification of its vagaries. So, it’s fitting then that this book transcends its remit. It’s an enquiry into the philosophy of sport with universal application. Even people who’ve never kicked a ball or roared in triumph in the stands will love this. My absorption never faltered.” Full review here.
The Game will be launched on June 2, in Waterstone’s Cork at 6:30 pm with Danny Denton. All invited! Thanks so much to Danny and John Breen and all the staff in Waterstones.
I went to the Clare Cork hurling match in Thurles. Wrote about it for the Irish Examiner. You can read it here.
It was a privilege to write about the laying to rest of the eminent sportswriter Brendan Mooney for the Irish Examiner. It was a humbling event, lit up with love. You can read it here. Photo of Sonia O’Sullivan with Ann Mooney at the funeral of her husband and former ‘Irish Examiner’ sports reporter Brendan Mooney at St Patrick’s Church, Rochestown. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney
I’m thrilled with the cover of my forthcoming book The Game: a Journey into the Heart of Sport from Merrion Press in May. The cover was designed by Fiachra McCarthy of Fiachra McCarthy Design and it features a photo of me taken by my brother Dermot in Banna Strand, c. 1974. The book is now available to pre-order from your local bookshop or online from Merrion Press and the usual outlets.
I was delighted to launch Denis Hurley’s book Cork Hurling: Game of My Life with Denis in the lovely Cork Waterstone’s in Patrick Street. It was a really enjoyable event, especially after the tough two years we have put in, losing out on so much. Thanks to Denis and Liam Hayes from Hero Books for asking me to be there. There was a great crowd there including several hurlers who feature in the book. It’s a great book, I recommend it highly and it’s now available in all good bookshops. Here are some photos of the night, taken by the great John Breen of Waterstone’s.
