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Five books to spend those vouchers on this week...

We bring the best sports writing to book as you head to your local stores in the post-Christmas sales mania.
10.00am, 27 Dec 2010

HONESTLY, IT PROBABLY hasn’t been the most vintage year for Irish sports books.

But here’s five from this country and beyond that are worth a visit to your local book store if you’ve gotten a few tokens. There’s still some gems out there.

Five books to spend those vouchers on this week...
1 / 5

  • The Club by Christy O'Connor

    The Sunday Times writer Christy O'Connor has been senior goalkeeper with St Joseph's Doora-Barefield for almost two decades. In The Club he pushes open the dressingroom door for us to reveal a typical club full of politics, passion and turmoil. Riveting.

  • Brian Moore

    The one-time England rugby player and now intelligent TV co-commentator Brian Moore won the best book award in Britain for this frank and personal autobiography. As you'd expect from the teak-tough hooker he doesn't shirk painful issues. Powerful read.

  • Days of Heaven

    Like the '60s, if you remember Italian '90, you weren't there, man. Helpfully Declan Lynch - who also ghosted Giles' book - pieces together the wonderful Jack Charlton years.

  • The Sunday Game

    Packed with high-quality photos and contributions from the likes of Brolly, Cantwell and Lyster, it's a must for any GAA fan.

  • John Giles - A Football Man

    This one is probably out on its own this summer as the best Irish sports autobiography. But as Emmet Malone said in the Irish Times recently: "it would have taken a pretty good book to even give it a run for its money anyway." A generation of Leeds fans of a certain age will have found it under the tree on Christmas morning. More still should pick it up in the new year. Great book, not a good book etc and so on.
  • The Sunday Times writer Christy O'Connor has been senior goalkeeper with St Joseph's Doora-Barefield for almost two decades. In The Club he pushes open the dressingroom door for us to reveal a typical club full of politics, passion and turmoil. Riveting.
  • The one-time England rugby player and now intelligent TV co-commentator Brian Moore won the best book award in Britain for this frank and personal autobiography. As you'd expect from the teak-tough hooker he doesn't shirk painful issues. Powerful read.
  • Like the '60s, if you remember Italian '90, you weren't there, man. Helpfully Declan Lynch - who also ghosted Giles' book - pieces together the wonderful Jack Charlton years.
  • Packed with high-quality photos and contributions from the likes of Brolly, Cantwell and Lyster, it's a must for any GAA fan.
  • This one is probably out on its own this summer as the best Irish sports autobiography. But as Emmet Malone said in the Irish Times recently:

Which books did you enjoy this year? Any good reading we should know about?

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