My life in books: ‘Mickey Harte’s football diary was incredibly insightful and inspirational’
Séamus Ó Tuama's late father Diarmuid Ó Tuama was a pioneering educator and prominent figure in Belfast’s Irish language revival.
Séamus Ó Tuama is a historian and principal of Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, the North’s first Irish-medium school.
Duan Na Nollag — bought for me by my daughter Eve. It’s the Irish language version of Charles Dickens’ , translated by the late, great Pádraig Ua Duinnín.
Alongside it sits , which chronicles the extraordinary life of International Brigadista, Irish Olympian boxer, and Church of Ireland cleric Robert Hilliard, written by his granddaughter, Lin Rose Clark.
I am also reading by Niall Breslin.
Read More
Anything sports-related, especially books focused on great players, legendary teams, or a solid redemption story. My latest comfort read was the legendary NFL quarterback Joe Montana’s biography, .
Paul Larkin’s , a chilling look at state collusion in the North.
It is a brilliant book, but it is so edgy at times that I have to treat it like Joey Tribbiani’s copy of in — putting it away in the freezer every now and again.
Kieran Glennon’s , Edward Burke’s , Dr Ferghal McCluskey’s and of course, my father’s incomplete manuscript. All four were engrossing.
Mickey Harte’s football diary, , was incredibly insightful and inspirational during my early days of coaching Gaelic football.
More recently, Kevin Walsh’s almost gave me that same lift.
by Omar El Akkad. A blistering indictment of Western imperialism and institutional hypocrisy.
My father’s book, , which looks at the bitter realities of the Irish Civil War.
Growing up, you are often fed a simplified narrative of the revolution, but reading his work shifted my perspective.
It lays bare the heartbreaking treatment of northern nationalists and republicans, showing exactly how they were abandoned and cast adrift by the southern leadership in the devastating aftermath of partition.
It’s a deeply personal piece of history that forced me to look at the foundational trauma of the North through a much sharper, more critical lens.
by legendary San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh.
A comprehensive, dedicated history of Belfast’s nationalist and republican community from the late 19th century through the entire Revolutionary Period.
Caroline Elkins’ . It is a deeply powerful and necessary read.
As a massive Stephen King fan, it has to be , which brilliantly adapted his novella .
An Ceathrú Poilí, nestled in the Cultúrlann at the heart of Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter, and Waterstones on Fountain Lane. Mercier Press’ bookshop in Cork is a beautiful place to visit.
Pure, unadulterated chaos.
Tea by the potful.
Holden Caulfield from JD Salinger’s or Ebenezer Scrooge from Dickens’ .
BOOKS & MORE
Check out our Books Hub where you will find the latest news, reviews, features, opinions and analysis on all things books from the Irish Examiner's team of specialist writers, columnists and contributors.
