Kings of September voted top sports book

MICHAEL FOLEY has won the Boylesports Irish Sports Book of the Year Award for ‘Kings of September’, his account of the 1982 All-Ireland football final in which Offaly foiled Kerry’s bid for a historic five-in-a-row.

The award was made at a ceremony in the James Joyce Centre in Dublin. Foley, a sportswriter for the Sunday Times, becomes the third winner of this annual award, and joins past winners Denis Walsh, who won the award in 2005 for Hurling: The Revolution Years, and last year’s winners, Paul McGrath and Vincent Hogan for their joint effort, Back From The Brink.

Kings of September, published by O’Brien Press, gives the background to Offaly’s shock All-Ireland triumph and details the team’s preparation.

Victory for Kerry that day would have secured them a record fifth consecutive All Ireland title. Offaly, on the other hand, had experienced six heartbreaking years under manager Eugene McGee and entered the final as total underdogs. Kings of September describes the emotive events of the day and the effect that the result had on a number of key figures involved.

Richie Connor, captain of the 1982 Offaly side and Jimmy Deenihan TD, a member of that famous Kerry team were present to congratulate the author.

Said Leon Blanche, spokesperson for Boylesports: “Kings of September is a fantastic read, extremely well written, and an excellent example of a treatment of a great sporting moment in Irish history.”

Four other entries were short-listed for this year’s Award: House of Pain by Keith Duggan (Mainstream Press); From There to Here by Brendan Fanning (Gill & MacMillan); Keys to the Kingdom by Jack O’Connor with Tom Humphreys (Penguin Books); and Blessed and Obsessed by Mick O’Dwyer with Martin Breheny (Blackwater Press).

nThe judges included the sports editors from the daily and Sunday papers in this country, including: Eoin Brannigan (Irish Daily Star), Dave Courtney (Irish Independent), John Greene (Sunday Independent), John Duggan (Today FM), Pat Keane (Evening Herald), Tony Leen (Irish Examiner), Malachy Logan (Irish Times), Colm Murray (Broadcaster, RTE), Neil Fullerton (Irish Mirror), Geoff Thompson (Irish Sun), Trevor Welch (Broadcaster, TV3), Roy Willoughby (RTE Radio Sport), Michael O’Keeffe (Pembroke Communications), Leon Blanche (Boylesports)