Shortlist Announced for the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year

Dublin, Ireland, November 26, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The shortlist of six books to contest the title of William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year for 2010 was announced today.

Some of Ireland’s most famous sports stars have made the top six sports books of the year including John Giles, Ruby Walsh and Bernard Dunne. Giles’ book, “A Football Man,” tells the story of one of Ireland’s greatest soccer players, his time growing up in 1940’s Dublin, his career with some of England’s biggest soccer clubs, Manchester United and Leeds United, and his life after football.

Ruby Walsh’s autobiography, “Ruby”, tells the tale of who can only be described as a phenomenal jockey. It looks at key relationships in his racing life with Paul Nicholls, Willie Mullins and Ted Walsh along with his unique rivalry with Tony McCoy.

Former World Champion boxer Bernard Dunne looks at his own life in “My Story”. Dunne examines his life from growing up in Neilstown to the unforgettable world title fight with Ricardo Cordoba, his defence of that title and subsequent retirement from boxing.

Also included in the shortlist is the nostalgic “Days of Heaven” by Declan Lynch. The book which is framed by Ireland’s footballing achievement at Italia 90 and the subsequent success under Jack Charlton our most unlikely of heroes and looks at the impact this had on the nation. Another of the shortlisted books, “Screaming at the Sky”, describes a four year period in the life of Clare inter-county hurler Tony Griffin from winning an All-Star and losing his father to cycling across Canada for charity and his subsequent return to hurling.

The final book on this year’s shortlist for the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year is Christy O’Connor’s “The Club”. The Club looks at a year in the life of Clare club St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield. Ten years ago it was one of the finest club hurling teams in Ireland but now this story, told by their goalkeeper and journalist Christy O’Connor, details their attempts to regain their status as county champions.

Tony Kenny, PR Manger for William Hill in Ireland, said; “The top six books for this year’s award really are the cream of the crop. There are the stories of sporting legends mixed with some truly remarkable tales of real sports achievement intertwined with the real life impact that sport can have on society and life in general. Each one is a must read for many different reasons and there will certainly be a very worthy winner to this year’s William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year.”

This year’s William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year saw the largest entry since it’s inception in 2006. 25 books were listed for the award this year all hoping to secure the €3,000 prize and the title of Ireland’s best sports book this year, with the winner being announced in early December.

The William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year was established in 2006 to reward the high quality of Irish sports writing. Previous winners have included Pal McGrath’s “Back from the Brink”, Tommy Byrne’s “Crashed and Byrned” and Donal Óg Cusack’s “Come what May”.

This year’s judging panel is made up of eleven of Ireland’s best sports commentators and experts. The panel includes RTE rugby pundit and Newstalk presenter George Hook, RTE’s Eamon Dunphy, Today FM and TV3 presenter Matt Cooper and Setanta Sports’ Paul Dempsey.

William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year 2010 - Shortlist

A Football Man – John Giles (Hachette Ireland)
My Story – Bernard Dunne (Penguin Ireland)
The Club – Christy O’Connor (Penguin Ireland)
Ruby – Ruby Walsh (Orion Publishing)
Days of Heaven – Declan Lynch (Gill and MacMillan)
Screaming at the Sky – Tony Griffin (Transworld Publishing)

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