BOOKS
SINGING THE BLUES
The Long Walk Back to Happiness on Hill 16
SINGING THE BLUES
The Long Walk Back to Happiness on Hill 16
Between 1974 and 1977 Kevin Heffernan’s Dublin were the greatest Gaelic football team in the land, playing the game with a style and panache that electrified the city, but then something went wrong. Two All-Ireland’s in the following thirty-four years were scant reward for the blood, sweat and tears that were shed by all of those involved in the Dublin football story. That was until Sunday 18th September 2011 when Stephen Cluxton’s last gasp did for Kerry and brought the rare auld times roaring back.
This is a fan’s perspective. Focussing in the games that really mattered, it is a blow-by-blow account of the agony and the ecstasy, the moments that shaped games and the refereeing decisions that left us scratching our heads. It looks at the players and the managers who have done their best to transform our dreams into reality and follows the progress of Pat Gilroy and his startled earwigs as they attempt to recover from the harrowing defeat to Kerry in 2009 and bring Sam back to the capital.
It is also a story of the friendship that comes with standing on Hill 16, sitting in the stand and travelling to away games. It paints a picture of what it’s like to be a Dublin fan, the wonderful characters that inherit our world and the communal nature of roaring the boys onto victory and defeat.
Even more importantly it’s a story with a happy ending…
“We kick every ball with them, make every tackle and as fans we suffer the woes and share the highs. In his new book, Singing the Blues, long-suffering Dubs fan Paul Huggard chronicles the abject disappointment and fleeting pleasure Dublin fans have endured over the past four decades right up until last September’s epic triumph.”
“Think of Nick Hornby’s ‘Fever Pitch’ on the highs and lows of following Arsenal or Frederick Exley’s wonderful ‘A Fan’s Notes’ which details his obsession with American football outfit New York Giants. But we have rarely been given any insight into what it’s like for the fans who follow every kick-out, high catch, solo run, point and goal for their GAA county team. Huggard has redressed the balance with his book, ‘Singing the Blues’ which details a love affair that dates back to the time of sideburns, flares and Marc Bolan on Top of the Pops.”