Minister's book for Offaly launch

Former Offaly All-Ireland winning manager Eugene McGee will launch former Kerry footballer and current Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan's book "My Sporting Life" today (Saturday, January 28) in the Tullamore Court Hotel. Deenihan's book recounts the stories of Kerry's footballing feats that were filed in the mind of a young Jimmy Deenihan, who himself harboured dreams of one day playing for Kerry himself. In tandem with the same dream grew a belief that sport, as described by Hippocrates, is the preserver of health. Minister Deenihan played football at club level with Finuge, at County Championship level with Feale Rangers and at inter-county level with Kerry. He won an All-Ireland U21 championship medal in 1973 and five senior All-Ireland medals as part of the "Golden Years" team. "My Sporting Life" recounts in vivid detail how Jimmy's dreams of playing football with Kerry because reality, culminating with lifting the Sam MAguire in 1981 as captain of the four-in-a-row winning Kerry team. Sport didn't end with retirement from the competitive game, and in the book Deenihan describes his life as a sports teacher, coach and trainer of all age groups. Entering political life he embraced the concept of sport for the many and not the few, and undertook extensive examination of the role of sports in the life of Irish people. The book also details his involvement in the organisation of sporting events among his Dail colleagues and their counterparts in other countries. All are welcome to the launch of "My Sporting Life", which aims to give a percentage of proceeds from its sales to the Tullamore Lions Club. The remainder will go to the Lartigue Monorail Restoration Project in Listowel, in Minister Deenihan's home county of Kerry. The book launch will take place at 8pm in the Tullamore Court Hotel.