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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
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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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