FOUR DONEGAL SPORTSPEOPLE’S books have made the long list of entries for the inaugural Setanta Sports Book of the Year.
Jim McGuinness’s ‘Until Victory Always’ – which was ghostwritten by Ballyshannon native Keith Duggan – has made the list alongside ‘Winning’ by Rory Kavanagh, penned by Liam Hayes, and ‘The Last Line: My Autobiography’ by Packie Bonner and Gerard McDade.
Meanwhile, ‘The Development of Sport in Donegal’ by Conor Curran has also made the cut.
Earlier this year, Setanta Sports and Publishing Ireland announced the introduction of a new award; The Setanta Sports Book of the Year, an initiative designed to recognise the very best in Irish sports writing in 2015 by seeking the best sports book published by an Irish author, or sports book with an Irish subject matter.
The final shortlist will be announced on Thursday, November 26, with an awards event taking place in Dublin on Thursday, December 3, where the very first winner of the Setanta Sports Book of the Year will be revealed.
“We are thrilled at the response of Irish publishers to the inaugural Setanta Sports Book of the Year awards,” said Brian Quinn, the Marketing Operations Director at Setanta Sports.
“This initiative was introduced to celebrate the very best in Irish sports writing, and we are delighted to be spearheading this. The winning author will receive a €1,500 cash prize, a specially commissioned trophy and €10,000 worth of TV advertising on Setanta Sports. We’re looking forward to reading the books that have been long-listed and commend all the authors on their tremendous efforts.”
| Henry Shefflin, The Autobiography | Henry Shefflin | Penguin Ireland |
| Pulling the Strings | Peter Stringer | Penguin Ireland |
| Dub Sub Confidential | John Leonard | Penguin Ireland |
| No Borders: Playing Rugby for Ireland | Tom English | Birlinn Ltd |
| Man And Ball, My Autobiography | Stephen Ferris | Transworld Ireland |
| Standing My Ground | Brendan Cummins | Transworld Ireland
|
| Six Nations, Two Stories | Kate Rowan and Peter O’Reilly | The O’Brien Press |
| Punching Above Their Weight | Seán McGoldrick | The O’Brien Press |
| The New Breed | Patrick McCarry | Mercier Press |
| The Irish Soccer Split | Cormac Moore | Cork University Press |
| The Development of Sport in Donegal | Conor Curran | Cork University Press |
| Soccer in Munster: A Social History, 1877-1937 |
David Toms |
Cork University Press |
| The GAA & Revolution in Ireland 1913–1923 |
Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh |
The Collins Pres |
| The Story of Thomond Park, Where Miracles Happen | Charlie Mulqueen & Brendan O’Dowd | The Collins Pres |
| Until Victory Always | Jim McGuinness & Keith Duggan | Gill & Macmillan |
| The White Heat, My Autobiography | Tomás O’ Sé | Gill & Macmillan |
| Relentless: The Inside Story of the Cork Ladies Footballers | Mary White | Currach Press |
| Dalymount: The Home of Irish Football | Colin White | Currach Press |
| Odd Balls: The Funny Side of Rugby | John Scally | Currach Press |
| Sport and Ireland | Paul Rouse | Oxford University Press |
| Balls.ie Guide to Life | Balls.ie | The O’Brien Press Ltd |
| The Last Line: My Autobiography
|
Packie Bonner with Gerard McDade | Ebury Press part of Penguin Random House |
| Keeping The Faith | John O’Mahony | Hero Books Ltd |
| Winning | Rory Kavanagh | Hero Books Ltd |
