A Place to Play

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.

Each GAA ground 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 these fascinating stories, the author, in collaboration with historian Dónal McAnallen, 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.

Author Biography

Humphrey Kelleher is a GAA man to the core, with a particular passion for hurling. He managed the Dublin senior hurling team in 2004 and 2005, and has successfully coached a number of Dublin club hurling teams. He represented his native Waterford in hurling and football at various levels, and spent most of his working life in Dublin with the Bank of Ireland. He was co-author of the ‘Dublin Hurling Blueprint’ (2001) and author of GAA Family Silver: The People and Stories Behind 101 Cups and Trophies (2013).