In Sunshine or in Shadow

by Donald McRae

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE
'One of the most captivating boxing writers on the planet' Barry McGuigan
'A superb tale...His inspirational story celebrates peace and reconciliation' Daily Telegraph
Multi-award-winning author Donald McRae's stunning new book is a powerful tale of hope and redemption across the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland - thanks to boxing.

At the height of the Troubles , Gerry Storey ran the Holy Family gym from the IRA's heartland territory of New Lodge in Belfast . Despite coming from a family steeped in the Republican movement, he insisted that it would be open to all. He ensured that his boxers were given a free pass by paramilitary forces on both Republican and Loyalist  sides, so they could find a way out of the province's desperate situation. In the immediate aftermath of the 1981 Hunger Strikes , Storey would also visit the Maze prison twice a week to train the inmates from each community, separately.

In itself, this would be a heroic story, but Storey went further than he became the trainer for world champion Barry McGuigan and Olympian  Hugh Russell , who became one of the most famous photographers to document the Troubles. Even with all his success and the support of both sides, Storey still found himself subjected to three bomb attacks from those who were implacably hostile to any form of reconciliation. He also worked with the Protestant boxer Davy Larmour , who fought two bloody battles in the ring against Russell, his Catholic friend. At the same time, in Derry, the British and European lightweight champion Charlie Nash fought without bitterness after his brother was killed and his father was shot on Bloody Sunday – the most infamous day of the conflict. 

Now, Donald McRae reveals the extraordinary tale of those troubled times . After years of research and intimate interviews with the key characters in this story, he shows us how the violent business of boxing became a haven of peace and hope for these remarkable and compassionate men.  In Sunshine or in Shadow is an inspirational story of t riumph over adversity and celebrates the reconciliation that can take place when two fighters meet each other in the ring, rather than outside it. 
'[An] outstanding and important book, Don McRae's powerful storytelling shows the courage of the people of the North' Andy Lee

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, History, Ireland

384 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

Donald McRae was born near Johannesburg in South Africa in 1961 and has been based in London since 1984.

He is the award-winning author of six non-fiction books which have featured legendary trial lawyers, heart surgeons and sporting icons. He is the only two-time winner of the UK’s prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year – an award won in the past by Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch and Laura Hillenbrand’s Sea Biscuit. As a journalist he has won the UK’s Sports Feature Writer of The Year – and was runner up in the 2008 UK Sports Writer of the Year – for his work in the Guardian.

Donald lived under apartheid for the first twenty-three years of his life. The impact of that experience has shaped much of his non-fiction writing. At the age of twenty-one he took up a full-time post as a teacher of English literature in Soweto. He worked in the black township for eighteen months until, in August 1984, he was forced to leave the country. He is currently writing a memoir based on these experiences.

Reviews

[Adrian Fingleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really well researched book, which focuses on a number of fighters who plied their trade during the worst of 'the troubles' in Northern Ireland. And it does show clearly how - improbably - they somehow managed to stay ahead of the murder machine that existed during those dark days. The author's access to the main characters is key to telling the stories in a passionate but accessible way. And the horrors of the period are well catalogued, in many ways it's a history book of the seventies and eighties as much as it is anything else. Having said that, I think at times the prose became a bit cliched, notably about how Barry McGuigan transcended the violence and became an angel of peace (or something like that...). I did really enjoy the book though, and the quality of the research and the insights into the mind-sets of the fighters is suberb. Well worth reading.

[Turlough Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Donald and thank you to the many brilliant people who helped Donald with this immense book. Would give it 10 stars if that was possible. This book shows the best and worst of Ireland / Eire. This book outlines the hope and glory Irish people can create when they work together and unite through sport and progress. This book also covers the shameful and heartbreaking choices some people have taken to harm others. Ireland is an island of so many wonderful people across the various communities that make up the population of Ireland / Eire. Protestant and catholic heroes and heroines are given time to shine in this book and I am incredibly grateful for the hours it must have taken Donald and so many others to get this into print. Will treasure this book and will recommend it far and wide.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well researched book tells the story of those men who crossed sectarian lines to fight in the ring. Men lauded by Catholic and Protestant alike regardless of any particular fighter's denomination. Men who chose the violence of boxing over the violence of the gun and bomb. This is a tale of hope and inspiration in the darkest days of the Troubles. Of those moments in time when the noble art brought different communities together in common purpose. It is also the story of Gerry Storey of Belfast. A renowned boxing coach. A man of peace and toleration respected and trusted by paramilitary leaders in both sides. A cracking, and at times, emotionally charged read.

[Steve Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sport of boxing is lucky to have writers of the calibre of Donald McRae covering the sport. This is an excellent read, striking a perfect balance between detailing the horror of the Troubles with the stories of several boxing characters of the time.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book . Gerry storey is a modern day Saint . Donald McRae = excellent ..again.

[Joe O'Donnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of spurious nonsense is talked about the healing qualities of sport, about the idea that sport can be the balm that can heal age-old divisions across races, classes, or creeds. No more than a cursory glance at the violence and virulent racism in much of European football, the odious use of ‘sportswashing’ by Middle-East states to cloak their human rights abuses, or a few seconds on social media observing the bile of rival fans would be sufficient to swiftly disabuse you of that overly-sanguine notion. But with “In Sunshine or in Shadow”, Donald McRae’s superb exploration of boxing during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, we finally do have an example of how a sport can provide an oasis of calm during dark times.

Ostensibly, “In Sunshine or in Shadow” is a history of Irish Boxing throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but in reality it is the tale of one extraordinary individual: Gerry Storey, the head coach of the Holy Family Boxing Club in North Belfast. Storey was the boxing coach to pretty much any major talent that emerged from Northern Ireland during this period, from Barry McGuigan to Charlie Nash and on to the cross-community bantamweight rivals Hugh Russell and Davy Larmour (all of whose fascinating backstories are comprehensively chronicled within “In Sunshine or in Shadow”).

But Storey’s most remarkable accomplishment was as the custodian of the Holy Family Boxing Club. While the sectarian conflict raged and the murder count rose remorselessly, Storey’s club provided a refuge and a safe haven to youths from across the Catholic-Protestant divide to not just develop their talents, but also to meet and become friends (something exceptionally rare in any other part of society in Northern Ireland during this period). Donald McRae shows how Gerry Storey was able to achieve this in North Belfast – the most dangerous, murderous area of Northern Ireland – while also having to navigate and gain the trust of both the republican and loyalist paramilitary gangs. It wasn’t just that Gerry Storey was a phenomenally successful boxing coach (although he certainly was just that); it is that he was also an inspirational human being and, in the words of the former-Loyalist paramilitary Billy Hutchinson, “he showed us a better way to live”.

It helps that Donald McRae is an extraordinarily vivid and gifted writer. As McRae describes the ringside action, you can almost feel every jab and right hook, you can almost taste the blood in your mouth after a particularly viscous punch, you can almost smell the sweat and cigarette smoke that permeates the ring. And as Donald McRae depicts Gerry Storey walking through the numerous security points of the Maze Prison in order to train the inmates, you can almost hear every jail gate slamming shut behind you, and you can feel the claustrophobia and menace of the prison environment closing in on you.

This is a sporting history that frequently reads like a thriller, and the pace only very occasionally slackens when McRae has to get into the minutiae of contract negotiations and fighter’s records. As superbly-well written as this book is, Donald McRae doesn’t overstate his case or make any claim that Boxing singlehandedly stopped The Troubles, healed the Catholic-Protestant divide or kick-started the Peace Process. But, “In Sunshine or in Shadow” does show how even a sport as outwardly tough and unforgiving as Boxing can provide meaning and peace to troubled souls during times of turmoil.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing story that just had to be told.
A perfect balance in writing on both boxing and the political troubles of Northern Ireland during the 70’s & 80’s, a story that remained impartial at all times.
A wonderful book for both boxing fans and anyone interested in British history & politics.

[Calum · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible story of how boxing brought temporary peace during The Troubles as well as providing hope for young men who were lucky enough to find the sanctuary of boxing. Expertly written.

[Brinx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written book providing an insight into the every day impacts of sectarianism in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. The careful crafting of the narrative and weaving of stories from both sides of the divide demonstrates a sensitivity rarely seen in connection with a topic that has the ability to be seen as a case of right and wrong whether it’s the rights and wrongs of the political sides or rights and wrongs of terrorism versus peaceful protest.

Such an important story which packs as many emotional punches as the boxing it describes. A compelling read and genuinely thoughtful narrative of such a complex situation.

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book I've read from Donald McRae and it is yet another wonderful one to add to the collection.

Combining historical facts from the Troubles with how boxing acted as hope and inspiration during the darkest days. The story revolves mainly around 5 men - Barry McGuigan, Hugh Russell, Davy Larmour, Charlie Nash and the man who linked them altogether and who was and still is such a major force in Irish boxing, as well as an all round great human being, Gerry Storey.

[John O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just one of the best sports books I have read but truly one of the best books I have ever read! This is captivating and emotive from start to finish. Each story and personal insight into the lives in this book is handled so well and weaves into the overall impact on a community that suffered so much! Amazing!!

[Archie Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant piece of writing from McCrae, sports sociology at it's best. A real insight into Boxing during this difficult period of Irish history.

[Michael Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best sports books I have ever read. Donald did an incredible job of telling the history of boxing in Northern Ireland. Absolute must read.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

More people should read this book. Maybe it resonates most strongly with those of us who followed amateur boxing in the seventies, who knew of Hugh Russell, Davy Larmour and most particularly of Charlie Nash, but this book is an important history of the times, the troubles and the torments with boxing running through as the connecting narrative and the connecting ribbon of hope.

British politicians should read this in shame and British journalists should do the same. Who knows how many lives would have been saved if Maudling had told the truth and Heath hadn’t directed Widgery to conclude that Bloody Sunday was the fault of the marchers. They knew just how dishonest this was at the time. They purposefully lied to create Republicanism as the enemy and Republicans as terrorists. Terrorists have caused unforgivable hurt in their time but the callous manipulation of the concept of terrorism by politicians and journalists has caused many hundreds of times more hurt. Who knows how many more lives would have been lost if Gerry Storey hadn’t gone into The Maze prison or if Mo Mowlem hadn’t gone against Blair and visited the leaders of the UDA and the UVF.

I watched it all from the Sportsnight coverage of Belfast boxing meets in the early 70s, through the bombs and the bullets, through visits to the province and the Republic, through the rise of McGuigan and the night that Jon and I joined a few hundred Manchester Irish in The Trevor on Chorlton Green to watch the Clones Cyclone take the world championship from Eusebio Pedroza. A wonderful night for the little Irishman, a truly wonderful night for those of us watching in South Manchester! This book captures it better than any of the formal histories or academic papers I have read. This is a remarkable book and one that should be more widely read.

But then readers in this country (England) don’t consider boxing, especially amateur boxing, to be their thing; something practiced in unpleasant venues by the lower orders they think. And they would rather not think of the Troubles now they seem to have gone away (even if they were given a vote of confidence in 2016). I suppose there are still as many shadows as there is sunshine and the subject matter of this book remains firmly on the dark side of the street when it needs to be brought out into the light.

[Iarfhlaith O'Scannaill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no interest in boxing; prior to reading, of all the boxers who are integral to this story, I’d only heard of Barry McGuigan. I was born in 1981, when Nash, Larmour and Russell were professional and McGuigan was on the way to superstardom. I have a keen interest in the history of The Troubles, but I’m not from Northern Ireland.

I shouldn’t have been as interested in this book as I was, nor have enjoyed it as much as I did.

The author manages to seamlessly interweave the careers of these four fighters with the grim political backdrop, and his comparisons with apartheid South Africa are apt and subtly developed. He does so by hearing each fighter’s perspective and identifying the complete lack of sectarianism in all four fighters.

This has been undoubtedly influenced by the reluctant hero of the story, Gerry Storey, a man whose life’s work should have resulted in more prominent national and international recognition that it has. In the depth of the troubles, he relentlessly focused on improving young people, both inside and outside of prison, regardless of background or political persuasion-a truly impressive achievement.

It is a truly compelling read, a tour de force by the author whose passion for boxing and human empathy is evident on every page.

Not interested in boxing in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s?? Great!! Read this book!!

[Chris Bayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book, which works superbly on two levels. Firstly, it provides an insight into the life and coaching of Gerry Storey, focusing on the fighters that emerged from his Holy Family gym during the course of the past 50 years. Alongside this, the book sensitively captures what life was like for ordinary people during 'The Troubles' and how boxing brought hope and united people from across sectarian divides, in a way that few other things ever managed.

The book brings to life the tales of fighters associated with Storey, the most famous of which is The Clones Cyclone, Barry McGuigan, a man whose career did more than most to stem sectarian conflict. It was fascinating to read about how McGuigan recovered not only from a contentious defeat at the hands of Chris Eubank's brother, but also from the tragic death of one of his opponents (Young Ali) en route to a World title. Equally as engrossing are the stories of Charlie Nash, and the rivalry between Davy Lamour and Hugh Russell. All in all, a fantastic book and one any boxing fan will relish.

[Angus Jonson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this. My boxing knowledge is limited and it didn't matter at all, I was fully invested in the protagonists, in Charlie Nash and Barry McGuigan and of course in the great Gerry Storey. Between this and last year's The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee I feel a new interest in the sport (a uniquely complex battleground that's often been politically charged, and has always always possessed genuine social power) developing.

Much like The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee (more so, perhaps) I'm comfortable recommending this to anyone with an interest in the period, or even purely on the basis of the quality of writing and compelling characters within. You can tell reading McRae's articles he is a first class interviewer, extrapolate that over 300 pages and you've got a special non-fiction title.

The chapter on Bloody Sunday is particularly remarkable. Chilling.

[Mr. Classical · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What would have happened to Belfast if all the good people had left"
A brutal yet heartfelt story surrounding legendary irish boxing coach Gerry Storey and the Catholic and Protestant fighters he was involved with during the height of the troubles and how their love for a voilent sport brought harmony between rivals. An exceptional read for boxing fans and irish historians. The chapter about Pat Macguigan singing Danny boy for the national anthem as a sign of peace to avoid conflict between the irish and british before his son Barry's world title fight was storytelling at its finest with the reasoning of the books title bringing tears to my eyes. A fine movie would be brought to life! Hopefully someday it does.

[Prdigm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to Donald's writing by a friend writing something about him on FB. I decided to look it up a subsequently purchase my first of his writings - In Sunshine or in Shadow. Being first of all from Irish origin with a big interest in boxing and of course the Troubles. It took me around 16 hours to read the book; I enjoyed it so much I felt I was right there in the midst of it all. I am truly gratified that mention made of Mo Mowlem who worked tirelessly to reach the Accord but got little recognition. My best regards, Patrick

[Andrew Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Sunshine or in Shadow is an important book and one of the most pertinent that I have read in a long time. The books core topics are boxing and the Northern Ireland Troubles but it transcends both of these genres.

The central concept is of how one man, Gerry Storey, refused to allow sectarian differences stop him from training boxers from Catholic or Protestant backgrounds. The detail of how he achieved this and the negotiations with leaders of both sides of the divide are almost unbelievable.
The stories of four boxers, Barry McGuigan, Hugh Russell, Davy Lamour and Charlie Nash, their backgrounds and involvement in the Troubles as well as the achievements they accomplished in the ring are fascinating. The well-researched history of Northern Ireland and how this impacted on people personally alternates between being heartbreaking and heartwarming. I certainly learned a lot, particularly about the Maze prison hunger strikes.

The book transcends these genres by showing us all how it is possible to see the best in people, to be kinder and to be less hostile, even when deeply entrenched in a world of deeply divided and seemingly unresolvable viewpoints. In a world where hostile and aggressive opinion is cheap and easy to share Donald McRae describes how Gerry Storey sees things differently and acts as an example for us all to be better people.

[Constance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book in order to write a review for a Northern Irish peacebuilding magazine, it was interesting, despite the boxing vocabulary it wasn’t too hard to understand, but it was a bit too long and detailed but that’s just a personal view on the matter. Nevertheless, it is filled with emotions and shows to what extent sports and teamwork can transcend violence during the Troubles!

[Iain Lobban · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most absorbing books I've ever read, which is testament to the way McRae writes because I have no real knowledge of or interest in boxing as a sport. Reducing it to a boxing or sports book does it a huge disservice though - it's a pitch perfect portrayal of humanity during a period of mindless, wasteful conflict. Heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure.

[Peter Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring account of the shafts of light and hope that boxing brought to Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. I'm not really a boxing fan but I appreciated the story of how Gerry Storey - and the boxers he trained, including Barry McGuigan - did so much to forge a common humanity in the context of sectarian hatred.

[G M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book about how boxing in Northern Ireland broke sectarian divides and gave a lot of people hope and something to cheer for during such hard times. All first hand stories from the people themselves.
Couldn't recommend it enough!
I did a long form review on reddit. Feel free to read
https://www.reddit.com/r/IrishHistory...

[Joe Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I loved this book, brilliantly researched and written. At times it reads like a really good novel and then it seems more like a n historical account. Overall superb I would highly recommend.

[Matt Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! As someone who owns 250+ boxing books this is up there with the very best. I'm not going to write a long and detailed review simply because no words I can write will do this fantastic book justice.

BUY IT, READ IT!

[Kieran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. This gives a riveting insight into the awful early days of the troubles that we lived through. Extremely well researched and Gerry Storey is definitely one of the good guys.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories about boxing during one of the more turbulent political times in memory. Another great work by McRae.

[Bryan Cavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting stuff about the Troubles. I'm not really into boxing though so probably wasn't really a book I should have read.

[Brendan Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible