’59 - An Eyewitness Account of Hurling’s Golden Age written by Waterford's Brian Kelly recounts the famous year where the Déise last lifted the Liam MacCarthy cup.
Waterford bested Kilkenny in a replay in front of nearly 80,000 spectators in the October of that year.
The book goes into great detail on the championship panel, their opponents as well as the times in which they lived.
The book launch is set for Thursday, September 5th in the Tower Hotel at 7.30pm.
The first copies will be available on the night.
Guests of honour at the launch event will be players from 1959, who will be introduced to the audience.
The event will be hosted by the publisher Liam Hayes, who will interview family members of the players on stage. The lineup includes:
Tom Cheasty’s wife, Kathleen
John Barron’s son, Donal
Micheal O’Connor’s brother, Kieran
Pat Fanning’s son, Phil
The event is free of charge.
The book tells the story of the Waterford hurling team of 1959 and the hurling landscape of the time.
Author Brian Kelly interviewed players, their opponents, and their family members to gain as much first-hand insight into the story as possible.
The cover of the book is a wraparound photo of the squad from 1959. Originally a black and white press photo, it has been colourised by Waterford man, Ian Hannigan of Timeless Colours, especially for the book.
The book is also illustrated with photos of artefacts from the year including tickets, programmes, advertisements, newspaper covers, posters and other ephemera.
The book plots the background of the players and how they were introduced to the squad, suffering defeat in ’57, before making their charge at ’59. Set in the context of hurling in that era, the events of the year are described, culminating in the All-Ireland win.
The book doesn’t stop there, though. As champions, the celebrations continued into 1960 with a challenge match against the Rest of Ireland; a Wembley appearance against Kilkenny; and a tour of New York. The book is a celebration of Waterford hurling, the team of ’59, and a golden era of hurling.
’59 - An Eyewitness Account of Hurling’s Golden Age is published by Hero Books.
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
