CAPTURING THE LIFE of a person who basically in the heat of the spotlight is no easy task. When the surface level information is so easy to find, a book about their life must explore what’s behind the thin veneer of familiarity.
That’s what ‘Joe Canning: My Story’ aims to do for one of the greatest Irish athletes of our time. The 2017 Hurler of the Year is someone we all recognise. Many have admired him for what he could do while others chastised him for what he didn’t do when the need was greatest. But that we already know.
By the final page of this book, you come away with a truer sense of the depths of Joe Canning. Both as an athlete, and as a person.
Canning has always been guarded, which is to be expected when privacy is something you’ve rarely known for most of your life.
As you read, you do get a sense that he has chosen to omit some parts of his life from the pages. That’s to be expected too when the public hasn’t always been kind to you. But through his collaboration with Vincent Hogan, Canning seems more at ease with submitting himself to the reader.
In the book, you find out that from as young as 14, Joe Canning knew that eyes were on him. He remembers being a seven year-old who was appointed as the free-taker on a Portumna U10 team, and who scored the team’s entire tally in a club final. In later years, during an U14 game, an opposition fan was heard shouting, “Cut the fucking legs from under him.” Canning found out about the remark at an older age but his mother, Josephine, and grandmother, heard it when the words were first uttered.
“I always made a point after that of completely blanking this fella whenever he’d approach me,” he writes. “I did so out of respect for Mam.”
Canning’s parents naturally feature a lot in the book, and are lovingly portrayed as cornerstones of his life. His mother passed away in 2022, two years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time. One interaction between them beautifully captures Josephine Canning’s selfless devotion to her son even at a time when her own health was deteriorating.
Canning embraces his mother Josephine after the 2017 All-Ireland final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Canning was suffering from shoulder pain after an accidental collision with his teammate Joseph Cooney in Galway’s 2020 All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick. He was stretchered off and taken to hospital for scans.
“She asked me how I felt,” he writes, “and fully programmed for self-pity, I began to itemise my issues.
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“She’d never, ever complain about her own predicament.
“‘How are you?’ I asked a little sheepishly.
“‘I’m grand,’” she declared.
“And I’m not sure I’ve ever felt guiltier in my life.”
Josephine Canning passed away the same year that Canning got married, but he still felt his mother’s presence in the church that day, and recounts it in beautiful detail.
“The moment the priest mentioned Mam, the butterfly stirred behind him. And to me, instantly that was her. Just letting us know she was with us.”
Vivid images of the importance of family are peppered throughout the book.
The youngest of seven, Canning often refers to his brother Frank as someone he confides in before making any important decisions. That dynamic comes up several times in the book, giving the reader an insight into how much Canning depended on those in his immediate circle for direction.
Canning also speaks honestly about a time when he struggled with his mental health. His mother’s cancer was linked with that dark period of his life, along with other factors including an exhaustive commute from Dublin for work, and a relationship break-up which he blamed himself for. He reached out to the GPA for help, and, in his fragile state, he reached a breaking point after a counselling session at a hotel in Dublin.
“When the tears came, they came in an unexpected torrent. It was like a dam breaking: this huge weight crashing out through a stone.
“My first concern was probably that somebody might see me now, sobbing openly in the lobby of the Lucan Spa Hotel.”
Sports psychology is another strand of this theme that features in the book. Canning admits that he was “a bit of a hard sell” in this regard, and felt sceptical about its effectiveness. He talks about using anger as a tool for motivation despite knowing that sports psychologists would discourage that kind of mindset. There was a slight hint of superstition in his head too. In the 2012 drawn All-Ireland final, he broke a hurl in the second half which he was quite attached to.
He hit two late frees that day to force a replay, missing the first one and barely scoring the second one.
“Was it in my head when I pulled a sixty-ninth minute free left and wide? Probably. I should have scored…. the hurley in my hands wasn’t the one I wanted in my hands. It wasn’t the one I’d practised all my free-taking with.
“… The free was actually trickier than the one I’d missed… I absolutely loved that 30 seconds or so immersed in my own little psychological bubble, getting ready to strike. Just that sense of being in this incredibly intense personal moment, everything on the line.”
Canning in action for Portumna in the 2014 All-Ireland club final. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
He did form a bond however with the sports psychologist, Ciarán Cosgrave, who worked with Galway in the year of their Liam MacCarthy Cup triumph. On All-Ireland final day in 2017, Canning recalls feeling so relaxed “it felt as if we had nothing unduly important ahead of us that day.”
Previously unknown details about his hurling career make for an interesting read, too. The infamy that surrounded an interview he gave between the draw and replay of the 2012 All-Ireland final is well known. A quote regarding Henry Shefflin’s gamesmanship in the drawn game triggered a huge reaction at the time. However you might not know that letters containing hateful messages were sent to Canning’s family home and were often intercepted by his father before his son would open them.
Considering that it was such a milestone moment in his hurling career, it’s no surprise that he dedicates an entire chapter to that time in his book. He expands on his recollection of the events, and the damaging affect it had on his relationship with the media.
“I’d very intentionally glare at any posse of scribes waiting outside a Galway dressing room in the hope of speaking to one of the players. It meant they stopped asking me for a word, my expression instantly telling them that they’d be wasting their time.”
These are just the standout moments in this writer’s opinion. Of course, memories of Portumna’s four All-Ireland club titles are included too, as are the injuries that disrupted Canning’s career. Dealing with fame, expectation and criticism from a young age is covered too, as well as an assessment of the various managers he played under.
Overall, it is a compelling and absorbing read worthy of consideration on your Christmas list.
Joe Canning: My Story is published by Gill Books and is available to buy now.
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'I loved that 30 seconds immersed in my own psychological bubble, getting ready to strike'
CAPTURING THE LIFE of a person who basically in the heat of the spotlight is no easy task. When the surface level information is so easy to find, a book about their life must explore what’s behind the thin veneer of familiarity.
That’s what ‘Joe Canning: My Story’ aims to do for one of the greatest Irish athletes of our time. The 2017 Hurler of the Year is someone we all recognise. Many have admired him for what he could do while others chastised him for what he didn’t do when the need was greatest. But that we already know.
By the final page of this book, you come away with a truer sense of the depths of Joe Canning. Both as an athlete, and as a person.
Canning has always been guarded, which is to be expected when privacy is something you’ve rarely known for most of your life.
As you read, you do get a sense that he has chosen to omit some parts of his life from the pages. That’s to be expected too when the public hasn’t always been kind to you. But through his collaboration with Vincent Hogan, Canning seems more at ease with submitting himself to the reader.
In the book, you find out that from as young as 14, Joe Canning knew that eyes were on him. He remembers being a seven year-old who was appointed as the free-taker on a Portumna U10 team, and who scored the team’s entire tally in a club final. In later years, during an U14 game, an opposition fan was heard shouting, “Cut the fucking legs from under him.” Canning found out about the remark at an older age but his mother, Josephine, and grandmother, heard it when the words were first uttered.
“I always made a point after that of completely blanking this fella whenever he’d approach me,” he writes. “I did so out of respect for Mam.”
Canning’s parents naturally feature a lot in the book, and are lovingly portrayed as cornerstones of his life. His mother passed away in 2022, two years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time. One interaction between them beautifully captures Josephine Canning’s selfless devotion to her son even at a time when her own health was deteriorating.
Canning was suffering from shoulder pain after an accidental collision with his teammate Joseph Cooney in Galway’s 2020 All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick. He was stretchered off and taken to hospital for scans.
“She asked me how I felt,” he writes, “and fully programmed for self-pity, I began to itemise my issues.
“She’d never, ever complain about her own predicament.
“‘How are you?’ I asked a little sheepishly.
“‘I’m grand,’” she declared.
“And I’m not sure I’ve ever felt guiltier in my life.”
Josephine Canning passed away the same year that Canning got married, but he still felt his mother’s presence in the church that day, and recounts it in beautiful detail.
“The moment the priest mentioned Mam, the butterfly stirred behind him. And to me, instantly that was her. Just letting us know she was with us.”
Vivid images of the importance of family are peppered throughout the book.
The youngest of seven, Canning often refers to his brother Frank as someone he confides in before making any important decisions. That dynamic comes up several times in the book, giving the reader an insight into how much Canning depended on those in his immediate circle for direction.
Canning also speaks honestly about a time when he struggled with his mental health. His mother’s cancer was linked with that dark period of his life, along with other factors including an exhaustive commute from Dublin for work, and a relationship break-up which he blamed himself for. He reached out to the GPA for help, and, in his fragile state, he reached a breaking point after a counselling session at a hotel in Dublin.
“When the tears came, they came in an unexpected torrent. It was like a dam breaking: this huge weight crashing out through a stone.
“My first concern was probably that somebody might see me now, sobbing openly in the lobby of the Lucan Spa Hotel.”
Sports psychology is another strand of this theme that features in the book. Canning admits that he was “a bit of a hard sell” in this regard, and felt sceptical about its effectiveness. He talks about using anger as a tool for motivation despite knowing that sports psychologists would discourage that kind of mindset. There was a slight hint of superstition in his head too. In the 2012 drawn All-Ireland final, he broke a hurl in the second half which he was quite attached to.
He hit two late frees that day to force a replay, missing the first one and barely scoring the second one.
“Was it in my head when I pulled a sixty-ninth minute free left and wide? Probably. I should have scored…. the hurley in my hands wasn’t the one I wanted in my hands. It wasn’t the one I’d practised all my free-taking with.
“… The free was actually trickier than the one I’d missed… I absolutely loved that 30 seconds or so immersed in my own little psychological bubble, getting ready to strike. Just that sense of being in this incredibly intense personal moment, everything on the line.”
He did form a bond however with the sports psychologist, Ciarán Cosgrave, who worked with Galway in the year of their Liam MacCarthy Cup triumph. On All-Ireland final day in 2017, Canning recalls feeling so relaxed “it felt as if we had nothing unduly important ahead of us that day.”
Previously unknown details about his hurling career make for an interesting read, too. The infamy that surrounded an interview he gave between the draw and replay of the 2012 All-Ireland final is well known. A quote regarding Henry Shefflin’s gamesmanship in the drawn game triggered a huge reaction at the time. However you might not know that letters containing hateful messages were sent to Canning’s family home and were often intercepted by his father before his son would open them.
Considering that it was such a milestone moment in his hurling career, it’s no surprise that he dedicates an entire chapter to that time in his book. He expands on his recollection of the events, and the damaging affect it had on his relationship with the media.
“I’d very intentionally glare at any posse of scribes waiting outside a Galway dressing room in the hope of speaking to one of the players. It meant they stopped asking me for a word, my expression instantly telling them that they’d be wasting their time.”
These are just the standout moments in this writer’s opinion. Of course, memories of Portumna’s four All-Ireland club titles are included too, as are the injuries that disrupted Canning’s career. Dealing with fame, expectation and criticism from a young age is covered too, as well as an assessment of the various managers he played under.
Overall, it is a compelling and absorbing read worthy of consideration on your Christmas list.
Joe Canning: My Story is published by Gill Books and is available to buy now.
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book review Galway GAA Hurling Joe Canning