The perfect golf gag gift, funny golf prank, or book for any golfer who always has an excuse for their wayward shots on the tee box There's nothing better than a perfect day on the course, except for maybe the excuses thrown around for a sliced drive or a missed putt. As soon as you shot goes askew... You can blame your job... You can blame the course... You can blame mother nature... Or you can blame your equipment... But Never, Ever, BLAME YOURSELF! The perfect golf gift for men who always have the perfect excuse for their golf misfortunes, 501 Excuses for a Bad Golf Shot is the ideal father's day gift, gag gift, or present for that friend in your golf league whose excuses are always a hole-in-one (even when their shots aren't).

The lore and legend of Gaelic Games has been shaped by great players. Since the Games began, special players have had a unique power to make the heart skip a beat. Now THE GAA IMMORTALS celebrates the achievements of 100 of the very best footballers, hurlers, managers, ladies footballers and camogie players from the start of the twentieth century to the present day. Based around exclusive interviews with a who's who of Gaelic Games, THE GAA IMMORTALS covers all the codes, giving a unique insight into icons of the games, including Dick Fitzgerald, Mick Mackey, Christy Ring, Jack Lynch, Nicky Rackard, Mick O'Connell, Sean O'Neill, Eddie Keher, Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Angela Downey, Lulu Carroll, Nicky English, DJ Carey, Peter Canavan, Henry Shefflin, Gooch Cooper and Joe Canning. With stars from all 32 counties represented, THE GAA IMMORTALS is a fascinating account of the greatest heroes and legends of the games.

The road to Croke Park can be a long one, but for Leitrim hurler Zak Moradi it was longer than most. Born in a refugee camp in Ramadi, Iraq, at the height of the Gulf War, Zak spent his formative years living under the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein. Settling in Carrick-on-Shannon aged just 11, Zak couldn't speak English, but when he discovered a talent for hurling, life suddenly took off. Zak credits the GAA with giving him the opportunity to put down roots, forge lifelong friendships and build his own life. In this brave, touching and uplifting memoir, Zak reflects on his first 20 years in Ireland: the culture shock of landing in small-town Ireland; the plight of refugees worldwide; the skills he learned through sport and the role it plays in a healthy, balanced mind and in creating a community.

Gaelic Games are the focus of endless debate and speculation, set the mood of Monday's post-match workplace and dominate pub-talk. For many of us, life and death run second to major GAA events. Blood, Sweat, Triumph & Tears looks back at some of the best moments from the sporting nation's favourite soap opera. It pays homage to the great players and people in Gaelic football, hurling, ladies' football and camogie. And it glories in the classic victories and thrilling contests witnessed down the decades. Based on exclusive interviews with the greatest personalities in the GAA's rich history, and covering every county in Ireland, here is a unique insight into the passion and politics, the controversies and crises, the wisdom and wit and all the highs and lows of Ireland's national treasure. Full of entertaining anecdotes, inspirational incidents and epic encounters, Blood, Sweat, Triumph & Tears truly captures the magic of the GAA. 'A book to shorten the long winter nights for any GAA fan.' DERMOT EARLEY, Kildare legend 'Will bring back great memories for lovers of Gaelic Games.' KAROL MANNION

This is the incredible story of how the GAA and its people weathered the coronavirus pandemic, and found the strength to survive. In the year 2020, our lives, purpose and favourite pastime as Irish people - meeting each other - stopped overnight. Throughout that dark time, the GAA was at the centre of the country's fight against COVID-19. From the start, thousands of volunteers delivered food and medicine to vulnerable neighbours and friends during lockdown and the association went online, keeping people connected and becoming a beacon of hope. As the association itself faced financial ruin, members had their own life and death struggles. Niall Murphy, of Antrim GAA, spent sixteen days in a coma, fighting the virus, as camogie player Marianne Walsh spent her cancer recovery amid strict lockdowns, dreaming of playing for her club once again. Hurler Domhnall Nugent battled intense isolation as he recovered from addiction. And when championships were shut down after celebrations threatened the association's reputation, uncertainty hung in the air. Through it all, GAA people rallied. Their stories, and the story of the GAA itself, needs to be told.

This is the incredible story of how the GAA and its people managed to weather the coronavirus pandemic and re-emerge to fight another day. On St Patrick's Day 2020, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that Ireland was locking down. Our lives, purpose and favourite pastime as Irish people - meeting each other - stopped overnight. Throughout that dark time, the GAA was at the centre of the country's fightback against covid-19. From the start, thousands of volunteers delivered food and medicine to vulnerable neighbours and friends during lockdown. Croke Park and other major stadia transformed into testing centres; the Association went online to keep people connected and became a beacon of hope. As the Association itself faced financial ruin, its members had their own life and death struggles to contend with. Niall Murphy, of Antrim GAA, was in a coma for sixteen days fighting the virus, and camogie player Marianne Walsh spent her cancer recovery amid strict lockdowns, only dreaming of one day playing for her club again. Hurler Domhnall Nugent battled intense isolation as he recovered from addiction issues. And when championships were shut down after celebrations threatened the association's reputation, uncertainty hung in the air. But through it all, GAA people rallied. Their stories, and the story of the GAA itself, now need to be told.

101 Great GAA Controversies is a collection of fascinating accounts from the field with appearances from some famous and infamous personalities, like Joe Brolly, Ger Loughnane, Pat Spillane and Babs Keating. With stories from the last 130 years, it is the major controversies that turn national games into our nationwide issues, often infuriating but never boring! Revealing insights into the Cork hurling strikes; Bloody Sunday; The Battle of Omagh; the Tony Keady affair; Louth's lost Leinster final; Kerry's undressing; the Sky Sports deal and of course the gripping events of the never to be forgotten hurling summer of 1998, this collection is bound to enthral all fans of Gaelic Games and might even settle a score or two. Including epic tales from Gaelic football, women's football, camogie and hurling, this book is sure to entertain fans of every GAA sport and continue the lore of the Gaelic Games.

What can possibly account for the strange state of affairs in professional sports today? There are billionaire owners and millionaire players, but both groups are constantly squabbling over money. Many pro teams appear to be virtual "cash machines," generating astronomical annual revenues, but their owners seem willing to uproot them and move to any city willing to promise increased profits. At the same time, mayors continue to cook up "sweetheart deals" that lavish benefits on wealthy teams while imposing crushing financial hardships on cities that are already strapped with debt. To fans today, professional sports teams often look more like professional extortionists.

In "Hard Ball, " James Quirk and Rodney Fort take on a daunting challenge: explaining exactly how things have gotten to this point and proposing a way out. Both authors are professional economists who specialize in the economics of sports. Their previous book, "Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports, " is widely acknowledged as the Bible of sports economics. Here, however, they are writing for sports fans who are trying to make sense out of the perplexing world of pro team sports. It is not money, in itself, that is the cause of today's problems, they assert. In fact, the real problem stems from one simple fact: pro sports are monopolies that are fully sanctioned by the U.S. government. Eliminate the monopolies, say Quirk and Fort, and all problems can be solved. If the monopolies are allowed to persist, so will today's woes.

The authors discuss all four major pro team sports: baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. "Hard Ball" is filled with anecdotes, case studies, and factual information that are brought together here for the first time. Quirk and Fort devote chapters to the main protagonists in the pro sports saga--media, unions, players, owners, politicians, and leagues--before they offer their own prescription for correcting the ills that afflict sports today. The result is an engaging and persuasive book that is sure to be widely read, cited, and debated. It is essential reading for every fan.

Fans always answer in the affirmative when their team asks: Will you still love me tomorrow? However, for many GAA fans it is their rivalries that guide them and define them. This unique book celebrates the age-old rivalries that have energised and enlivened the GAA. Based on exclusive interviews with a veritable Who's Who of the great and the good of Gaelic Games, here are remarkable insights into the controversies, epic matches and the thrilling events on and off the field which great GAA rivalries have generated. Full of arresting anecdotes that represent each county, these pages capture the extraordinary pride and passion of Ireland's greatest national treasures: Gaelic football, hurling, ladies football and camogie. John Scally is a lecturer in Trinity College, but in his spare time is a writer and broadcaster. Since 1992 he has written 40 books with cumulative sales of over 150,000 copies. He is the author of the biggest selling GAA book in Ireland, Raising the Banner:The Biography of Ger Loughnane, and for a few years his biography of Tony Ward was the biggest selling rugby book in Ireland. 'Will bring back a treasure trove of great memories for GAA fans.' Cyril Farrell 'There have been many rivalries through the decades and John Scally will navigate you through them as only he can, with great insight and knowledge and an unrivalled love for our native games.' Donal Ryan 'Pulsates with the thrills and spills of epic contests, clashes and controversies. A must read book for GAA fans. It reminds us of who we are.' John O'Mahony

For over 130 years the GAA has been at the heart of Irish life. Now, in The People's Games, John Scally tells the compelling stories of the men and women behind the rich history of Gaelic Games. Since the introduction of television Gaelic Games have become a huge entertainment industry, yet at their core remain deeply embedded in the local community. They shape the national conversation and lift the mood of the country. Hurling, ladies' football, camogie and Gaelic football are Ireland's greatest national treasures. Gaelic Games are part of the DNA of the Irish Race, and the people are the beating heart of the Games. This comprehensive collection captures the GAA's evolving history, the fabled heroes, the controversies, the scandals, the pulsating games, the fans, the centrality of the clubs, and the unending and heart-stopping drama. Full of fascinating insights, amusing anecdotes, thrilling tales and new revelations about famous incidents and epic encounters, this volume brings the people's games alive in all their vibrancy. Based on exclusive interviews, this captivating compendium explores the rich history of the men and women of the GAA who made it all happen.

The greatest achievement in GAA history finally gets its due: Adrian Russell's The Double is a singular triumph. - Michael Moynihan On 16 September 1990, Cork's footballers ran out on the Croke Park pitch chasing immortality. The Rebel County hurlers, watching on from the Hogan Stand in suits, had won an unlikely All-Ireland a fortnight earlier; their thrilling final victory over Galway capped a hugely fun come-from-nowhere season. Now, if Billy Morgan's footballers could overcome their rivals in Meath, they'd secure sporting history for the county; a Senior All-Ireland double. After hitting a historically low ebb the previous year, the hurlers arrived with a bang led by a hurling fanatic priest. Fr Michael O'Brien built his by plucking players from relative obscurity, coaxing old stars back into action and trusting young guns to make a name for themselves. Billy Morgan's footballers, meanwhile, were a tight-knit, well-travelled side by the summer of 1990. A cast of strong characters, including Larry Tompkins, Niall Cahalane and Dave Barry, who trained hard and partied just as hard, they ended Kerry football's hopes, before running into the Meath machine. Cork were defending champions but questions remained: could they back it up when the pressure was piled on by the hurlers' success? In a long summer that saw the nation celebrate Ireland's Italia '90 success, Cork made its own sporting history. The Double is the story of how they pulled it off.

This chronicle of a year in the life of St Joseph's Doora-Barefield GAA club in Co. Clare - which won the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year award for 2010 - breaks new ground in Irish sportswriting. Christy O'Connor, a national GAA correspondent who has also been the St Joseph's senior team goalkeeper for 20 years, tells this story with unflinching honesty: a fly-on-the-wall tale of the effort, agony and struggles that define the journey undertaken every season by every club side. This is grassroots GAA at its purest and rawest, a great story brilliantly told.

'Who are we?' 'Ballymarra! Ballymarra!' everyone shouted loudly. Thirteen-year-old Anna loves Gaelic football, and she's good: focused, skilled and strong. But then everything changes; after a terrible loss, Anna and her family move to a new town. How will she cope with a new home, new school and new GAA club? It seems like even football can't give her comfort, maybe some help from an unexpected place is just what she needs...... Football, friendship & family forever

In 1882, a letter was published in the Irish Times, lamenting the decline of hurling. The game was now played only in a few isolated rural pockets, and according to no fixed set of rules. It would have been absurd to imagine that, within five years, an all-Ireland hurling championship would be underway, under the auspices of a powerful national organization. The Hurlers is a superbly readable account of that dramatic turn of events, of the colourful men who made it happen, and of the political intrigues and violent rows that marked the early years of the GAA. From the very start, republican and ecclesiastical interests jockeyed for control, along with a small core of enthusiasts who were just in it for the sport. In this authoritative and seriously entertaning book, Paul Rouse shows how sport, culture and politics swirled together in a heady, often chaotic mix. 'Fascinating ... a brilliantly researched book on hurling in the early years of the GAA' Martin Breheny, Irish Independent 'I heartily recommend it. Great picture of the emergence of modern Ireland amidst sport, nationalism, priests and assorted crazy hotheads ... Brilliant stuff' Dara O Briain 'A story of pioneerism, passion, intrigue, skulduggery and commitment ... a must read for the many sports, and particularly hurling, supporters and admirers in today's version of Ireland' Irish Times 'Brilliantly entertaining ... not just the gripping account of that first championship, but also of how the game of hurling itself was saved in the 1880s from what seemed certain extinction' Sunday Independent 'Terrific' Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner 'Can't recommend this enough. Amazing detail, brilliant story telling, full sweep of Irish life in the 1880's and all the seeds and fault lines of GAA life today brought to life' Ger Gilroy 'A brilliant piece of work' Matt Cooper 'Both a sports and a history book, full of wonderful stories from a different time, with tales of passion, skullduggery and controversy, played out against the backdrop of what could be described as a civil war within the GAA and a land war that threatened to rip the country apart' RTE Culture 'Fascinating' Frank McNally, Irish Times 'A page turner that continues to deliver chapter after chapter ... The Hurlers is a must read' Limerick Leader 'A superbly readable account ... an authoritative and seriously entertaining book' Ireland's Own 'The perfect read for a brilliant hurling year' Caitriona Lally, Irish Independent Top Books of 2018 'A vital look into the early years of the GAA and a perfect gift for both sport and history lovers' Mark Gallagher, Mail on Sunday Books of 2018 'Marries forensic historical research of the cultural and political contexts for the emergence of modern hurling with a polished style and storytelling ability that is rare among historians' Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times Books of 2018 'Marvellous ... the definitive account of this remarkable period when hurling came to life' Clonmel Nationalist 'Brilliant' Kenny Archer, Irish News

For Tipperary hurling, defeat in the 2012 All-Ireland semi-final was heartbreaking. For Lar Corbett, it was devastating. Then again it has never been a straight road for the three-time All-star and 2010 'Player of the Year'. Deemed not good enough to play for Tipperary at minor level, he was nineteen before his unique talent was identified by Nicky English who gave Lar his chance in the All-Ireland winning squad of 2001. But this success was to be followed by years of despair as Tipperary hurling floundered, managers came and went, and a recurring hamstring condition left his career hanging in the balance. The turning point came in 2007 with the arrival of the 'dream team' of Liam Sheedy, Eamon O'Shea and Michael Ryan. Encouraged to play more freely and to exploit his explosive pace, Lar soon became one of the most lethal forwards in the game. His three-goal blitz against Kilkenny in the 2010 All Ireland final is the stuff of legend. Following defeat in the 2011 All-Ireland final, Lar stepped away from the game in February 2012 but was ultimately persuaded to return for the championship. Then came the disastrous semi-final where tactical changes kept Lar largely out of the game and provoked unprecedented criticism from media and fans alike. In All In My Head, Lar offers a unique insight into what happened on that day and over the turbulent year leading up to it. This honest and revealing autobiography is a must-read for all fans of the sport of hurling.

They are the chosen few who have drunk from the chalice of immortality. They are the men and women who have been part of the 101 GREAT GAA TEAMS. For GAA fans, our great teams bring colour and richness to our lives. When our team is on a winning streak it imbues us with a deep feeling of solidarity and a glow that uplifts the spirit. Great teams have that special power which energises and connects us. They inspire, make our hearts beat faster and let us dare to dream. All the great and the good are here: Jim Gavin's Dublin; Brian Cody's Kilkenny, Mick O'Dwyer's Kerry; Christy Ring's Cork; Sean Boylan's Meath; Ger Loughnane's Clare; Mickey Harte's Tyrone; Nicky Rackard's Wexford; Galway's three-in-row; Liam Sheedy's Tipperary; Mayo's team of the 50s and many more. 101 GREAT GAA TEAMS is a fantastic tribute to the great teams in football, hurling, camogie and ladies' football that have thrilled fans down the years. 'A book which captures the heart and soul of the GAA' - Kieran Donaghy 'This book will evoke great memories for GAA fans' - Jackie Tyrrell 'This book is a long overdue tribute to great GAA teams' - Anthony Daly

Another 2,000 Gaelic football and hurling questions to test your knowledge of Ireland's best-loved sports. Think you know everything there is to know about Gaelic football and hurling? Think again! The GAA Quiz Book 2 is packed with a further 2000 of the most brain-teasing Gaelic football and hurling questions ever. With 200 ready-to-ask quizzes ranging from the very easy to the very hard, there's something to challenge every Irish sports fan. All aspects of both games will be covered including who won and lost, what records have been set, historic moments, players, teams, awards, significant rulings, competition changes and much more. Prepare for pub quiz success or impress your friends time and time again with your in-depth sports knowledge with the most up-to-date, comprehensive, fascinating on Gaelic sports quiz book around.