A Place to Play: The People and Stories Behind 101 GAA Grounds

We are delighted to have Humphrey Kelleher on the Podcast to tell us all about his New Book, A Place to Play: The People and Stories Behind 101 GAA Grounds

In every province and county in Ireland, GAA grounds are cornerstones of culture and community. They are imbued with history and their terraces echo with the sounds of decades, even centuries, of spirited sporting battles.

In this book, the first of its kind, Humphrey Kelleher has created a vibrant record of 101 GAA county Grounds in every corner of the country and beyond.

Each of the 101 GAA Grounds featured has served as a county ground at some stage in its lifetime. Named for saints, landowners, political figures and more, every one has a unique and absorbing history. Alongside this fascinating information, the author chronicles the development of the grounds over the years, and the often surprising ways that funds were raised to do so.

All thirty-two counties feature, and it doesn’t stop there; the book also takes us to London and to New York, where the grounds reflect the lasting and far-reaching influence of the GAA beyond these borders.

With stunning new aerial drone photography by the author, this exceptional book offers an insightful new perspective on the places our GAA clubs and counties call home.

Humphrey speaks about his Book

“It’s not a GAA book in my view. It’s a social history of the Ireland of the 1920s and ‘30s, who put their hands in their pockets when they didn’t have a penny? They bought the land without any help from the GAA initially. It’s those people, who are names that nobody knows or at least very few.

“They bought the land, developed the ground over the years and there’s a lovely venue there today. What I wanted to get across was, who bought that land? I call them the frontiersmen, the pioneers of the GAA and no one knows who they are.

“It has been shortlisted for book of the year – for the best Irish published, as opposed to best sports book and I think that’s significant. It’s 101 stories behind the 101 GAA grounds.”

Croke Park is included but Kelleher is more intrigued by how it was acquired rather than the Archbishop of Cashel and first patron of the GAA. A central character is Frank Dineen, a former general secretary of the association who purchased the land that Croke Park now occupies.

“He bought the land with the intention that the GAA might buy it but he had it for four or five years. They were going to buy Elm Park from Lord French out on the southside of Dublin. Frank Dineen offered Jones’s Road for £3,500 – leasehold. I found out that the GAA didn’t actually acquire the freehold interest in Croke Park until 2015.

“Maurice Butterly had bought the original lease in the 1890s but he had a company which bought the lease off him for £13,000 but the company went bust and into liquidation, which is how Dineen picked it up for £3,500. The Munster and Leinster bank had the loan and had to get something back.”

Most of the venues naturally have very local but sometimes exotic stories.

“In Kilmallock in Limerick, Fossett’s Circus came to town and one day the elephant escaped and went walkabout. He came up to the GAA pitch and decided to scratch his arse against the boundary wall and demolished the whole thing!”

We are delighted to be in possession of 2 Copies of the 101 GAA Grounds Book, Which We will be giving away

How do You Enter?

Type in you email address, which We will use to contact You only if you Win.

Answer 20 Questions all based on the Book and You are in to Win !!!

The 101 GAA Grounds Covered in-depth in the Book are as follows

Munster
Clare – Ennis – Daly Tulla – Miltown Malbay
Cork – Páirc Ui Chaoimh – Páirc Uí Rinn – Fermoy – Mallow
Kerry – Killarney – Listowel – Tralee
Limerick – Páirc na nGael Limerick – Askeaton – Sean MacGerailt Kilmallock
Tipperary – Clonmel – Thurles – McDonagh Nenagh
Waterford – Walsh Park Waterford – Fraher Field Dungarvan

Leinster
Carlow – Bagenalstown – Dr Cullen Park Carlow – Tullow
Dublin – Croke Park – Parnell Park – O’Toole Park
Kildare – Geraldine Park Athy – Naas – Newbridge
Kilkenny – Nowlan Park Kilkenny – St Lachtain’s Freshford – Locke Callan
Laois – O’Moore Portlaoise – Fr Breen Abbeyleix – Kelly Daly Rathdowney
Longford – Pease Park Longford – Leo Casey Ballymahon
Louth – St Mary’s Ardee – St Brigid’s Dowdallshill Dundalk – Drogheda
Meath – Páirc Tailteann Navan – Colmcille Kells – St Loman’s Trim – Kilmessan
Offaly – Páirc Park Tullamore – St Brendan’s Birr
Westmeath – Pairc Chiaran Athlone –Mullingar
Wexford – Wexford Park – Enniscorthy – New Ross
Wicklow – Arklow –Aughrim –Ashford

Connacht
Galway – Kenny Athenry – Duggan Ballinasloe – Pearse Stadium Galway – Tuam
Leitrim – St Mary’s Cloone – Sean O’Heslin’s Ballinamore – Sean MacDiarmada Carrick-on-Shannon
Mayo – Castlebar – O’Hara Charlestown – Stephens Ballina
Roscommon – Hyde Park – Athleague – St Brigid’s Kiltoom
Sligo – Markievicz Park Sligo – Kilcoyne Tubbercurry – Corran Ballymote

Ulster
Armagh – Armagh – Davitt Lurgan – Crossmaglen
Antrim – Casement Park Belfast – Loughgiel – Corrigan Park Belfast – McQuillan Ballycastle
Cavan – Breffni Park Cavan – Cootehill – Kingscourt
Derry – Celtic Park Derry – Owenbeg – Ballinascreen – O’Donovan Rossa Magherafelt
Donegal – MacCumhaill Ballybofey – O’Donnell Letterkenny – Ballyshannon
Down – Newry – Newcastle – Ballycran
Fermanagh – Brewster Enniskillen – Lisnaskea – St Molaise Irvinestown
Monaghan – Clones – Castleblayney – Emmett Carricmacross – Iniskeen
Tyrone – Fr Campbell Coalisland – Healy Omagh – Plunkett Pomeroy – Dungannon

International
New York – Gaelic Park, Bronx
London – McGovern Park Ruislip

Online Stockists include

Bookworm Thurles

Midlandbooks.ie

Irish Academic Press

Books.ie

Book Shop Stockists

Easons