Football book goes on sale
11 December 1996
The book, Boots, Rules and Fantasy Free: A History of Mayo Football' will go on sale at outlets throughout the county from tomorrow, Thursday (Retail price £7).
The 250-page book will be officially launched at a reception in the Welcome Inn Hotel's Failte Suite tonight (Wednesday) at 9.00p.m.
The launching ceremony is being jointly performed by Mr. Pat Quigley, president, Football Association of Ireland, and Mr. Henry Downes, who was chairman of the Mayo Association Football League for three decades.
Written by Tom Kelly, Deputy Editor, Connaught Telegraph, the book is an enthralling account of the history of Mayo football from its humble early origins up to the present day.
The book contained an index of over 1,100 names featured in the history. A number of fascinating stories are recalled which occurred both on the field of play and behind the scenes.
Read about the Mayo official who had the distinction of refereeing an Irish Youths Cup final which featured two players destined to win international recognition with Ireland in different code. An incident which become known as The Peter Duke Affair' is remembered in great detail in the opening chapter.
A full account is given of the club which laid siege outside a meeting of the Mayo League in the Imperial Hotel, Castlebar, in a bid to obtain their league championship trophy.
There is a colourful description of a meeting in Straide in the eighties which was dubbed The Night of the Nine Knives.' Revealing insights are given of players who played illegally under assumed names. . .and got away with it.
The story of the college team which was ruled offside is there, as well as a report on the only club to win the Mayo League Premier Division despite having withdrawn from the league.
Every player to have ever kicked a play for Mayo in the Oscar Traynor Cup is mentioned, while there is a full list of Mayo's major title winners, a list which have never been published before.
The author also recalls how the sport's early pioneers had to content themselves with playing in the street with nothing other than a pumped-up pig's bladder, and how the game survived in the face of different crises down the years.
The book also contains a number of treasured photographs.
Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - December 1996
