G.A.A. Publications - 1987 

Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 1987, p 107

 

The past year hasn't been the greatest for publications relating to the county. Leading the field by a long shot must be The Story of the G.A.A. in the Parish of Newport: by the Mulcaire Banks by Michael Collins and Denis Floyd. This is an excellent production of 528 pages printed by The Clare Champion and sells for £10. It contains an introduction outlining the history of Newport at the time of the foundation of the G .A.A., continues with accounts of the many teams that represented the parish and concludes with a number of appendices that give a completion of the work. It is a model of what a club history ought to be. 

Of a totally different nature is The History of Clengar G.A.A. Club and Area by D. J. Treacy. This 36 page production costs £2 and the first print of 400 copies sold out very quickly. A second print of 200 is now available and anyone interested should get his copy quickly. Glengar was a club from 1933 to 1979 and represented the area of Doon parish that exists in County Tipperary. The book is a short record of the club and contains a few interesting photographs, particularly one of a 1929 St. Louis team which included five of the Ryan-Coyles from the area. 

Another production of great interest to Tipperary G.A.A. followers is the Munster G.A.A. Story by Jim Cronin, with special assistance from Seamus O'Ceallaigh and Patrick C. Walsh. As well as giving a history of Munster championships and affairs since the beginning it contains a number of appendices of outstanding value. Appendix A contains the results of all championship results in every grade, a task of mammoth proportions and a record of inestimable value. Appendix B contains the winning teams in every grade and Appendix C the members of every Railway Cup team from 1927 to 1984. This work is a 'must' for every follower of hurling or football and great value at £10. 

Programmes

Nearer home the divisional and county convention handbooks for 1986 are valuable records of events during the previous year. The annual report of the football committee is also valuable and a credit to the work of Michael Power. All four divisions produced programmes for their divisional hurling finals. The north and mid productions contained forty-eight pages but over half the space was covered in advertisements. The west final programme was a very fine production and carried the results of all the senior finals since the west was formed in 1930. 

The Cashel club produced programmes for the county quarter­-finals between the mid and the west teams and for the county semi-final between Kilruane and Loughmore-Castleiney. The former carried the results of all quarter-final games since the Open Draw was scrapped in 1977 and the latter, the semi-final results from 1968-85. 

The Thurles Sarsfields club were responsible for the county senior hurling final programme. This carried the minor hurling results from 1931-85 and an interesting piece on the Borrisoleigh mascot entitled 'The Cocks of the North Rule the Roost'. This twenty-four page production also included pen pictures of the Kilruane and Borrisoleigh teams. 

Other programmes of interest to Tipperary people include one produced in Ennis for our Munster championship game with Clare and the Munster final programme in KilIarney where the minors drew with Cork. Fermoy produced a commemorative programme for the official re-opening of Pairc Mhic Gearailt on May 18 where Tipperary and Cork played in a tournament game. 

Team sheets were produced for the inter-county hurling challenge at Littleton on February 2 and for our under-21 hurling semi-final game against Limerick at Thurles in July. There was a team sheet for the Tipperary-Down game at Thurles on March 9 and for the All-Ireland junior hurling final between Limerick and Kilkenny at the same venue on August 24. 

Major Games

There were four major games at Thurles during the year for which programmes were produced, the Ford National League hurling semi-finals on April 27, the final on May 11, the All­-Ireland hurling semi-final on August 10 and the Under-21 hurling and football finals on September 14. 

At the football level there was much less on offer. Michael O'Meara produced a programme for the county senior football final at Clonmel on October 19. There was an interesting programme for the Tipperary-Kerry Munster senior football championship game at Clonmel on June 6. It contains all the facts and figures from previous meetings between the sides. There was also a programme for the Tipperary-Cork under-21 football championship game at Clonmel on May 5. 

Two other publications deserve mention. The first is a new magazine on coaching published at Croke Park. Entitled 'Coaching News' it costs fifty pence and will appear on a regular basis. 

The second publication is now defunct and more's the pity. The 'Book of Gaelic Games', to appear in twenty-four instalments, was launched with great hype in 1984. Published by Berkeley Publications, Kilkenny, in association with RTE, it was to be a comprehensive account of Gaelic Games from earliest times to the present day. A very scholarly production with many fine photographs and illustrations, it ceased appearing after seven issues. There was no reason given for the cessation though it was suggested that costs and lower sales than expected were accountable. Whatever the reason it is still possible to get the seven issues that appeared in an attractive binder for the same price as the magazines originally cost. The set makes an attractive addition to one's G.A.A.library.