‘Grassroots: The Second Half’ is a gold mine of GAA tales spanning over 150 years and follows the publication of a successful first volume last year.

“The GAA and I were astounded by the response to the first edition,” said book editor PJ Cunningham, who collaborated with Croke Park on both publications.

“This collection is slightly different to the first in that as well as having the usual stories from the deep roots of rural society, there are also numerous stories where people from other sports and walks of life talk of their GAA experiences,” he said.

Former Irish rugby international Ollie Campbell, ex-snooker world champion Ken Doherty and Vienna-based opera singer Tom Birch, all explain how they became big fans of Gaelic games.

“Virtually no subject escapes in the 400 pages, with tales of a parish priest’s curse, referees officiating with watches which didn’t work to players taking ‘leaks’ on the field of play,” said Cunningham.

GAA President Larry McCarthy said the book highlighted “the value of the folklore and stories built up around our games.”

“What these two Grassroots books do is ensure they become available to a wider audience as most, if not all, of these stories are being published for the first time,” he said.

The unique collection includes stories from such acclaimed writers such as Mae Leonard,

• Malachy Clerkin
• Dr Joe Kearney,
• John B Keane
• Barrie Henriques
• Gerry McLaughlin and
• Norman Freeman