Seán Óg Ó hAilpín is a one-of-a-kind Irish sportsman, the iconic hurler of his generation. He became synonymous wiSeán Óg Ó hAilpín is a one-of-a-kind Irish sportsman, the iconic hurler of his generation. He became synonymous with Cork hurling during a period when the Rebel County reached the highest of highs and was regularly gripped by controversy.
All of this would have seemed pretty unlikely when Seán Óg was born in 1977. As Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh would famously point out during a commentary from Croke Park many years later, his mother was from Fiji, and his father from Fermanagh. He was raised in Fiji and Australia - where he played rugby league - until, when he was 11, the family moved to Cork. He was an outsider there, but in Cork Seán Óg took up hurling and Gaelic football, and thus began one of the great GAA careers. Making his trademark barnstorming solo runs from left wing-back, Seán Óg emerged as the lynchpin of the great group of Cork hurlers that won five Munster titles and three All-Irelands; in 1999 he contested All-Ireland finals in both codes. He was also central in standing up for players' rights against the Cork county board - a source of great controversy and two painful strikes. Through it all, more than any other player, Seán Óg epitomized the new combination of all that is best about the amateur ethos of the GAA and the new professionalism of players who want to perform at the very highest level, whether they are paid or not.
Now, Seán Óg tells his own story in his own words - a story every GAA fan has been waiting to read. Full of frank insights, Seán Óg's autobiography is not just an essential sporting story; it is an essential Irish story.
