On St Patrick's Day 2020, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that Ireland was locking down. The coronavirus pandemic had arrived. As Croke Park and other major stadia transformed into testing centres, 20,000 volunteers helped 35,000 vulnerable people with essential deliveries.
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Summary
On St Patrick's Day 2020, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that Ireland was locking down. The coronavirus pandemic had arrived. As Croke Park and other major stadia transformed into testing centres, 20,000 volunteers helped 35,000 vulnerable people with essential deliveries.
Description
This is the incredible story of how the GAA and its people weathered the coronavirus pandemic, and found the strength to survive.
In the year 2020, our lives, purpose and favourite pastime as Irish people - meeting each other - stopped overnight.
Throughout that dark time, the GAA was at the centre of the country's fight against COVID-19. From the start, thousands of volunteers delivered food and medicine to vulnerable neighbours and friends during lockdown and the association went online, keeping people connected and becoming a beacon of hope.
As the association itself faced financial ruin, members had their own life and death struggles. Niall Murphy, of Antrim GAA, spent sixteen days in a coma, fighting the virus, as camogie player Marianne Walsh spent her cancer recovery amid strict lockdowns, dreaming of playing for her club once again. Hurler Domhnall Nugent battled intense isolation as he recovered from addiction. And when championships were shut down after celebrations threatened the association's reputation, uncertainty hung in the air.
Through it all, GAA people rallied. Their stories, and the story of the GAA itself, needs to be told.
Critic Reviews
'A terrific idea brought to beautifully intimate colour, exploring an extraordinary time in all our lives through the power of the GAA community. An absolute triumph.' - Vincent Hogan, sports reporter, Irish Independent
'The stories in this book are a catalogue of resilience and the capacity of people to find ways to make the best of everything. Damian Lawlor uses his unparalleled network across the GAA to document its covid experience from new and fascinating perspectives. From extraordinary acts of kindness to the pain of loss, this book tells vivid tales of how GAA members lived through a brutal pandemic.' - Paul Rouse, Professor of History, UCD
'Lawlor uses his in-depth knowledge of the GAA to make real the impact of the pandemic on people, families and communities. He captures the human scale of its challenge and the impressive response of players, members, volunteers, clubs and the GAA leadership. The result is a rich and uniquely Irish account of this global health emergency.' - Dr Tony Holohan, Former Chief Medical Officer of Ireland
About the Author
Damian Lawlor is a best-selling author and sports broadcaster with RTE. He comes from Kilruane in County Tipperary and lives with his family in Naas, County Kildare. This is his seventh book.
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