Meet the Irish men and women who aimed high in the sport they love. From Dan Donnelly, our first heavyweight boxing champion, to our greatest runner, Sonia O'Sullivan. From Brian O'Driscoll's amazing rugby performances to Rosemary Smyth's rally driving brilliance. From the heroic rowing of the O'Donoval brothers to the our women's hockey team: the first ever Irish team to reach a world final. Featuring many people whose achievements have fallen from view, such as Anne O'Brien (the first Irish female professional football player) and Francie Barrett, the first traveler to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games.
The remarkable stories of these trailblazers from throughout Ireland will inspire and excite children of all ages.
Donny Mahoney and illustrator Eoin Coveney will draw you into the amazing world of these athletes, and introduce the next generation of role models.
Ireland has a proud history of sports stars, and this book picks out the best of the best across all disciplines. There are dozens in here I know of and even more I never heard of before but will be looking out for in future. For such a small island, we have produced amazing athletes.
I did think the writing was a little choppy in spots, but that's a hazard of trying to fit as much information as possible into one page of writing. I loved the little extra facts at the bottom of some pages, and the illustrations are amazing. You can feel the determination coming from every single face.
This will sit wonderfully alongside Blazing a Trail, Bright Sparks and Dare to Dream ... and I love that different illustrators are given the chance for each book, instead of sticking with the same one all the way through! It keeps things interesting, and I'm amazed at how well they match up with each other.
This is a great gift for any sports fan and will even interest people with no interest! (witness, me...)
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