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The Club
This chronicle of a year in the life of St Joseph's Doora-Barefield GAA club in Co. Clare breaks new ground in Irish sportswriting. Christy O'Connor, who covers the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) for the Sunday Times and who has been the St Joseph's senior team goalkeeper for 20 years, tells this story with unflinching honesty: a fly-on-the-wall tale of the effort, agony and struggles that define the journey undertaken every season by every club side. This is grassroots GAA at its purest and rawest, a great story brilliantly told.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 1, 2024
The Club, which won the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year in 2010, takes a look at a season in the life of a hurling club from the west of Ireland. St Joseph's Doora-Barefield, based in County Clare, won the national championship back in 1999. But in 2009 things are looking much bleaker - the club are one of the weaker sides in their own county, and the stars of the '99 triumph are fading fast. The players are also dealing with tragedies that transcend sport, hoping that the distraction and brotherhood of the dressing room will bring them together in pursuit of victory.
The story is told by Christy O'Connor, goalkeeper of the team and a fine journalist in his own right. He gives us a fly-on-the-wall view of what goes on behind the scenes in such a club - the endless planning, the arguments, the politics. He's going through personal turmoil himself, trying to cope with the death of his baby daughter. Sport is a release for him, a diversion from grief.
One of the things I liked most about this story is that it examines the fortunes of a struggling team. We hear so many tales of success, and it makes a refreshing difference to read about a club that is desperately trying to stay competitive. The sporting side of it is fascinating - the tension between management and the squad, the conversations that take place in the inner sanctum during a game, the motivational texts that players send each other before matches, the simmering resentments that can tip over into a full-blown row. Why do these guys put themselves under so much pressure, you might ask yourself? And it's because the club means everything to them. It's an escape from their day-to-day lives. For many, it gives them a purpose. And the chance to win, to achieve the ultimate prize with a group of people who become as close as family is something worth fighting for. It's a wonderful book - you don't need to be a dedicated fan of hurling or even sport to appreciate the life lessons spilling from its pages.
The story is told by Christy O'Connor, goalkeeper of the team and a fine journalist in his own right. He gives us a fly-on-the-wall view of what goes on behind the scenes in such a club - the endless planning, the arguments, the politics. He's going through personal turmoil himself, trying to cope with the death of his baby daughter. Sport is a release for him, a diversion from grief.
One of the things I liked most about this story is that it examines the fortunes of a struggling team. We hear so many tales of success, and it makes a refreshing difference to read about a club that is desperately trying to stay competitive. The sporting side of it is fascinating - the tension between management and the squad, the conversations that take place in the inner sanctum during a game, the motivational texts that players send each other before matches, the simmering resentments that can tip over into a full-blown row. Why do these guys put themselves under so much pressure, you might ask yourself? And it's because the club means everything to them. It's an escape from their day-to-day lives. For many, it gives them a purpose. And the chance to win, to achieve the ultimate prize with a group of people who become as close as family is something worth fighting for. It's a wonderful book - you don't need to be a dedicated fan of hurling or even sport to appreciate the life lessons spilling from its pages.
June 29, 2016
It was a hot, humid day Saturday in June when I heard about “The Club” by Christy O’Connor. It was after a 9-11 a.m. Milwaukee Hurling Club traveling team practice. Pat Foley had just come off the pitch, talking to me about signing up for “Line App” on my cell phone to stay in touch with the panel decisions. The NAACB’s, or North American County Board Championships would be hosted in Chicago that year, and considering the championship was the Mecca of all American Hurling Events, Milwaukee wanted to send two teams to Chicago to ram our talent down their throats; the usual sibling rivalry.
Pat had studied at the University of Limerick, Ireland like myself and was telling me about a great book he read about hurling. Later that evening, he texted me a reminder: “The Club” by Christy O’Connor and statement that read “It’s the Irish version of the Milwaukee Hurling Club. I had a lot to do, so I put the book on a lengthy to do list, and waited to till Christmas to ask someone else to buy it for me.
“Beyond a Boundary” written by Trinidad Marxist C.L.R James was one of the most important sports books I read in my life. It detailed the effect of English racial segregation inside the Caribbean Cricket leagues. It was the first book I read the managed to weave how dialectically the political and social climate invariably affects sports. We can even see this in the United States, when NBA players responded to the deaths of Dontre Hamilton and Eric Gardner by police through their wearing of the “We Can’t Breath” shirts during primetime games. It is as C.L.R James famously states in his book “What do they know of Cricket who only Cricket know?” Christy O’Connor is no exception, implicitly stating “What do they know of Hurling who only Hurling know,” through his examination of Hurling Club Play.
St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield was at the height of Clare County hurling in 1999 after winning the All-Ireland County match. They were considered a club that had provided several players for the All-Ireland Clare team, and had won back to back Munster hurling titles. By 2009, the Club has fallen into the depths of obscurity and the book details the Club’s last attempt with many of the veteran players from 1999’s All-Ireland team to regain their respect and title during the 2009 season. This is a tragic tale, that ends with many veteran players realizing that while loss can be disheartening, their roles in the Club’s rebirth lie with supporting the Club, rather than playing for the club.
Like C.L.R James Christy O’Connor looks at the effect of a community and an organizational structure has on Club teams and individual players. O’Connor examines the role of urban sprawl in Ireland in impacting the amateur players away from the sport. Hurling is a sport that those in the Club level do out of love, since they receive no monetary compensation. Many young, potential hurlers are lured away to the cities to work and are overexposed to professional sports like Football and Rugby. O’Connor also details the unforgiving organization of the GAA which makes dual participation in Gaelic sports like Hurling and Gaelic Football, very strained. This often leaves a club to decide which sport to adopt, rather than hosting both.
What O’Connor does more than James, is look at the effect of community on the psyche of the players. St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield is a small, rural parish community. The community experiences the deaths of a Ger Hoey, a remarkable Hurling player and teammate of the 1999 All-Ireland team, and the parish priest. O’Connor describes how these deaths served as a rallying cry for some players, and an obstacle to some. We see through Doora-Barefield’s run for the title, how family and work affect player commitment to practice. When Doora-Barefield is defeated it is tragic, but ultimately expected by the author. The future lies with efforts of the organization to cope with obstacles presented to the community not on the shoulders of the past.
Pat Foley asked me what I thought of the book. All I could say is that the book, though written in a different country and in a different organization, struck a chord with the experience of the Milwaukee Hurling Club. As an organization, we must look to building the younger future of our club, rather trying to rekindle the fire of the veterans.
August 12, 2022
Christy O' Connor writes an empassioned account of the 2009 hurling season for St. Joseph's Doora-Barefield, his home club. From the outset there is no doubt St. Joseph's is where his heart lies.
This books brings us through the trials and tribulations faced by GAA clubs by focusing on one season. Christy's writing truly evokes what it is to be part of your local GAA club. "The Club will be our refuge. Our Sanctuary."
O'Connor shows that a club is not just about sport but it is about friendship, loyalty, comradeship, trust, hope and shared experiences. O'Connor demonstrates so well how our clubs are the lifeblood of rural communities. Christy's story shows that a GAA club is not just about the minutes spent on a field in preparation for or playing matches. His story relates to us the tragedies faced by the community in 2009 and how Christy and his team mates and friends fueled by raw emotion used the sport they loved as a support and coping mechanism through the worst of times.
While St. Joseph's is a unique club, Christy details the challenges faced by all clubs. It not only deals with the on the field action but also the behind the scenes bread and butter of running a club. I very much enjoyed this book and it is a must read for anyone involved in the club scene.
This books brings us through the trials and tribulations faced by GAA clubs by focusing on one season. Christy's writing truly evokes what it is to be part of your local GAA club. "The Club will be our refuge. Our Sanctuary."
O'Connor shows that a club is not just about sport but it is about friendship, loyalty, comradeship, trust, hope and shared experiences. O'Connor demonstrates so well how our clubs are the lifeblood of rural communities. Christy's story shows that a GAA club is not just about the minutes spent on a field in preparation for or playing matches. His story relates to us the tragedies faced by the community in 2009 and how Christy and his team mates and friends fueled by raw emotion used the sport they loved as a support and coping mechanism through the worst of times.
While St. Joseph's is a unique club, Christy details the challenges faced by all clubs. It not only deals with the on the field action but also the behind the scenes bread and butter of running a club. I very much enjoyed this book and it is a must read for anyone involved in the club scene.
September 27, 2021
Excellent look through the season of a hurling club!
January 17, 2011
At the turn of the millenium, St Josephs Doora-Barefield were one of the most successful hurling clubs in Ireland, having won the All Ireland club title in 1999 and several Clare senior titles in the years leading up to it. Containing such iconic players as Seanie McMahon and Jamsie O'Connor, it seemed that the only way was up. Ten years on, in the classic sporting way, its all changed for the worse - the club failed to kick on from its success, with changing priorities and failure of coaching to bring young lads through leading to them struggling in their own county championship. Christy O'Connor was goalie on the team that won the All-Ireland club title, and he's goalie still, though he knows his days as a player are running out. After a couple of tragedies rock the club and O'Connor personally, they decide to give it one last almighty tilt to win the county title. This is the story of what happened that season.
This book does something that has never been done before, in that it brings us into the heart of a GAA club, as opposed to an inter-county team, and thus into the very soul of the GAA itself. Because the local club in any parish is so tightly bound up in the identity of a place and its people, this is not something to take lightly; O'Connor ran the risk of being cast out by his own by writing this, and to be fair to him he doesn't sugar coat the pill at times. But his love for his club and his teammates and his home shines through, and though it can get a bit sentimental and crusading in parts, this book really does shed light on what it means to be involved in the GAA at the very grassroots, and also on what the club means to its players and its parish, and how tied up they all are. For that alone he deserves to be applauded.
This book does something that has never been done before, in that it brings us into the heart of a GAA club, as opposed to an inter-county team, and thus into the very soul of the GAA itself. Because the local club in any parish is so tightly bound up in the identity of a place and its people, this is not something to take lightly; O'Connor ran the risk of being cast out by his own by writing this, and to be fair to him he doesn't sugar coat the pill at times. But his love for his club and his teammates and his home shines through, and though it can get a bit sentimental and crusading in parts, this book really does shed light on what it means to be involved in the GAA at the very grassroots, and also on what the club means to its players and its parish, and how tied up they all are. For that alone he deserves to be applauded.
December 29, 2010
Excellent book that chronicles a year in the life of a GAA(a voluntary sports organisation in Ireland) club. It will have a reasonance for all those that have played games and/or are involved in the administration of one.
July 6, 2014
Good read
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews