Boy Wonder: Tales from the Sidelines of an Irish Childhood

A collage of personal memories passed over into family myth, Boy Wonder is a funny and moving account of a childhood spent, like countless others, on pitches, sidelines and stands, struggling to make sense of competition and the outsized role it play... Read more

A collage of personal memories passed over into family myth, Boy Wonder is a funny and moving account of a childhood spent, like countless others, on pitches, sidelines and stands, struggling to make sense of competition and the outsized role it plays in the lives of men and boys, fathers and sons. From tough lessons on the parish field and the politics of afterschool football to the euphoria of Croke Park and brushes with demigods like Jimmy Barry-Murphy and Roy Keane, Boy Wonder is a poignant comic memoir about family, sport and the rites of passage that shape every childhood. It is one man’s story – but a testament to every man’s experience. ‘If you ever strung a length of washing line across the road to try to replicate the excitement of Wimbledon, played street football while imagining John Motson simpering over your every touch, trotted around an obstacle course slapping your backside during Dublin Horse Show week or tried to emulate Alex Higgins on a four-foot by two-foot snooker table in the tight confines of a suburban kitchen, then Boy Wonder will make you ache with nostalgia for your own childhood.’ Paul Howard ‘Utterly authentic.’ Matt Cooper Less