The March book in the GAA Museum Book Club is 'The Hurlers' by Paul Rouse. The book tells the story of the first All-Ireland Championship and the making of modern hurling.

In 1882, a letter was published in the Irish Times, lamenting the decline of hurling. The game was now played only in a few isolated rural pockets, and according to no fixed set of rules. It would have been absurd to imagine that, within five years, an all-Ireland hurling championship would be underway.

'The Hurlers' s the account of that championship and of the colourful figures who made it happen. In this book Paul Rouse shows how sport, culture and politics swirled together in a heady, often chaotic mix. Rouse is a lecturer in Irish history and sports history at University College Dublin.

Those wishing to get involved with the GAA Museum Book Club can sign up for free at www.crokepark.ie/bookclub. Each month the GAA Museum team will choose a well-known GAA book to read and review and at the end of the month, the museum will host a free online interview with the author, in which members can submit questions and comments.

The ambition of the book club is to review some of the great GAA books and to give us all a much-needed sporting boost as we stay at home.

For those who don’t own or can’t borrow a copy of the book, the GAA Museum Gift Shop is offering a discount on The Hurlers for the month of March. You can purchase at https://crokepark.ie/shop/shop-home/gaa-museum-merchandise/other-gift-ideas/the-hurlers