THE NOMINATIONS FOR the eir Sports Book of the Year prize have been revealed.<\/p>\n
In its second year running, the inaugural award was won by former Dublin footballer John Leonard with Dub Sub Confidential in 2015 and a 20-strong longlist has been announced this evening.<\/p>\n
Included are books from ex-Ireland and Munster rugby captain Paul O\u2019Connell (The Battle), Ireland\u2019s top MMA coach John Kavanagh (Win Or Learn), Kerry footballer Kieran Donaghy (What do you think of that?), Olympic medallist Rob Heffernan (Walking Tall) and the authorised biography of Jack Charlton by Colin Young.<\/p>\n
It will be cut down to a final shortlist on 28 November and the winner, who receives a \u20ac1,500 cash prize, a specially-commissioned trophy and \u20ac10,000 worth of TV advertising on eir Sport, is set to be announced at an awards event in December.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we decided to begin a new award scheme to recognise the best in Irish sports writing in the middle of last year, we could not have foreseen just how successful year one would have been,\u201d said eir Sport Director of Operations Brian Quinn.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe standard of entries was remarkably high and in Dub Sub Confidential we had a book that was a compelling read for any sports fan due to its honesty, wit and excellence.\n<\/p>\n
\nThis year\u2019s longlist is again full of quality writing and I am certain that the judging panel will arrive at a book that will be a worthy winner of the accolade of eir Sport Sports Book of the Year.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\nAdvertisement<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cI would like to thank our partners at Publishing Ireland and the publishing houses throughout the country without whom this scheme could not be a success.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d also like to thank Mark and the judging panel. They have a tough task ahead of them this year!\u201d<\/p>\n
The judging panel is independently-chaired by Mark Duncan and made up of sports editors and producers from the national media: Shane Scanlon (Irish Independent), Brian Flanagan (Irish Daily Star), Jack White (Irish Daily Mail), Malachy Logan (Irish Times), Jacqui Hurley (RTE), Adrian Barry (Newstalk), Michael Foley (Sunday Times), Dion Fanning (SportsJoe).<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the longlist:<\/p>\n
\n
- Win or Learn: John Kavanagh \u2013 Paul Dollery<\/li>\n
- The Battle: Paul O\u2019Connell \u2013 Paul O\u2019Connell<\/li>\n
- Blood, Sweat & McAteer \u2013 Jason McAteer<\/li>\n
- The Best is Yet to Come –\u00a0Alan O\u2019Mara<\/li>\n
- Spirit of \u201958 –\u00a0Evan Marshall<\/li>\n
- Full Throttle –\u00a0Liam Beckett<\/li>\n
- Coolmore Stud –\u00a0Alan Conway<\/li>\n
- Jack Charlton: The Authorised Biography –\u00a0Colin Young<\/li>\n
- My Life In Rugby –\u00a0Donal Lenihan<\/li>\n
- Front Up, Rise Up –\u00a0Gerry Thornley<\/li>\n
- The Heart and Soul of Kerry Football –\u00a0Weeshie Fogarty<\/li>\n
- Rob Heffernan\u2019s autobiography, Walking Tall –\u00a0Rob Heffernan<\/li>\n
- Everything to Play For: 99 Poems about Sport –\u00a0John McAuliffe<\/li>\n
- Out Of Control –\u00a0Cathal McCarron with Christy O\u2019Connor<\/li>\n
- What do you think of that? –\u00a0Kieran Donaghy<\/li>\n
- Retired: What happens to footballers when the game\u2019s up? –\u00a0Alan Gernon<\/li>\n
- Blood, sweat, triumph and tears –\u00a0John Scally<\/li>\n
- Hand on Heart –\u00a0Ken McGrath & Michael Moynihan<\/li>\n
- Second City –\u00a0Neal Horgan<\/li>\n
- Man Tests \u2013 The misadventures of an endurance fanatic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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