In the ever-improving as well as ever-expanding genre that is the GAA autobiography, every new entry tends to have a hook to draw the floating reader in.

To appreciate the extraordinary journey and career Kieran Donaghy underwent before announcing his inter-county retirement yesterday on the 17th anniversary of 9/11, it’s worth rewinding to where he was when those planes crashed into those towers.

Long before its conclusion, the 2018 football championship had assumed all the air and feel of a national league coming to its customary mild conclusion. Yeah, yeah ,yeah, yeah, OK, so such-and-such won it, fair play to them, but cut to the chase — how will they get on in the forthcoming championship?

The same week Stephen Rochford embarked on his first of three underwhelming Connacht championship campaigns with a visit to Ruislip, another manager familiar with some football grounds in London as well as working with top players for a support base craving silverware brought out a book called Quiet Leadership.

When Limerick trailed Cork by six points with almost as many minutes of normal time to go in the All-Ireland semi-final, John Kiely would have been forgiven if he started to think like most Limerick supporters undoubtedly and understandably were at the time.

Even a side as well as prepared as this may have to lose one to win one, writes  Kieran Shannon.

Twenty years ago Ray Silke had the unique distinction of leading both his club and county up the Hogan Stand steps to collect senior All-Ireland titles in Croke Park. Two decades on he is still leading by example — but in a very different capacity

In Kerry they can get very serious in telling you how they take their football very serious.

John Allen remains the last Cork hurling manager to win the All-Ireland — and the last Limerick manager to win the Munster Championship, yet his achievements and methods have tended to be underestimated.

The same day Roy Keane adorned the front page of this paper by flying back into his hometown to launch the Liam Miller tribute match also happened to be the 25th anniversary of him joining Manchester United for a then record British transfer fee.