OUT NOW: 

Behind the Lines presents another collection of some of the year’s best and most relevant sports stories, produced by the award-winning team at The42. This is the fifth instalment of the critically-acclaimed annual anthology.

In this Olympic year, Gavan Casey returns to Seoul ’88 and Barcelona ’92 with Wayne McCullough to find out what it means to a man from a loyalist heartland to raise the tricolour on sport’s biggest stage; Sinéad Farrell shines a spotlight on one of this year’s stars, sprinter Phil Healy, with the help of her sister and her coach; while Cathal Dennehy reflects on the irreplaceable loss of the great Jerry Kiernan.

With unflinching honesty and bravery, Ireland soccer international Clare Shine and swimmer Karen Leach share their important personal stories, while Paddy Hill, wrongly imprisoned for 17 years as one of the ‘Birmingham Six’, tells Gavin Cooney about his struggle to leave the past behind.

Go on tour with the Irish rugby team in 1970s Fiji, carry the bags of the Jack Charlton era with Irish football’s legendary kitman, lace up your boots for a cameo role in the iconic Escape to Victory, and step into the ring with The Real Million Dollar Baby.

With something for everyone, this is unmissable long-form writing for the sports fan in your life.

Praise for previous editions of Behind the Lines 

‘Fine sports writing… as compelling as it is often amusing and touching. These are the stories that go far beyond sport, and they still resonate long after they have been read.’  Donald McRae, two-time winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. 

‘In these pages, the men and women at The42 show once more why they are the nation’s best storytellers. Irish writers are as important as Irish games, and here at that intersection is something special.’  Wright Thompson, ESPN The Magazine senior writer and author. 

‘More evidence that terrific sports writing is just terrific writing, period. The men and women writing for The42 provide an essential voice that speaks a universal language.’  Glenn Stout, series editor of The Best American Sports Writing.

The42 presents Behind the Lines, the fourth collection of the best and most relevant stories, produced by the award-winning team at Ireland’s leading sports website.  

During a unique sporting year, Murray Kinsella speaks with the former Munster Rugby star who emulated his father by joining the frontline defence against Covid-19, while Kevin O’Brien examines how we grieve during the pandemic, as a town and club pay their respects to a local GAA hero.

Garry Doyle sketches out Jack Charlton’s massive legacy and former Ireland international Curtis Fleming tells Paul Fennessy about growing up as a Black Dubliner in the days before the BLM movement. 

Fintan O’Toole celebrates the genius of Maurice Fitzgerald and Eoin Kelly, Sinéad Farrell asks those who were there to recall Bob Marley’s day on the Dalymount Park pitch, and Emma Duffy illustrates how Catherina McKiernan was shaped by her roots.

Read about Liverpool’s title triumph, a trailblazing ladies' football team… and much more.   

Volume IV of this much-loved series is, once again, long-form writing for the sports fan in your life. 

‘There has never been a more important time for good sports journalism. In a year that has been unforgettable for all the wrong reasons, the team at The42 have consistently managed to find good stories worth sharing and write them in a way that is always worth reading.’ Jacqui Hurley, broadcaster and author  

Praise for the Behind The Lines series: 

‘Fine sports writing… as compelling as it is often amusing and touching. These are the stories that go far beyond sport, and they still resonate long after they have been read.’ Donald McRae, two-time winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. 

‘This is storytelling at its most Irish and most eloquent.’ — Dave Hannigan, author of Boy Wonder: Tales from the Sidelines of an Irish Childhood

***OUT NOW***

Behind the Lines presents another collection of some of the best sports stories from the award-winning team at The42, Ireland’s favourite sports app.

Eoin O’Callaghan pieces together the career of Ireland’s greatest female footballer with the help of her brother and some Italian newspaper clippings.

Gavin Cooney spends a morning in Eamon Dunphy’s sitting room recalling the rows and relationships which have defined a career in the spotlight and Ryan Bailey relives the crowning moment of Shane Lowry’s career with those closest to him. 

Emma Duffy traces the journey from a Cavan pig farm to East London for the rising female star of Irish football. A former Premier League star opens up his house for David Sneyd over a revealing weekend, Murray Kinsella tries to crack the Joe Schmidt enigma and Gavan Casey writes the definitive account of Katie Taylor’s historic, but controversial, Madison Square Garden victory.

Read about Jim Gavin’s time in the army and its impact on the Dublin GAA boss, horse racing legend Ted Walsh’s life philosophy... and much more.

This is, once again, long-form writing for the sports fan in your life.

Praise for Behind the Lines, No. 3:

'Behind the Lines 3 bears witness to the endless capacity of sport to shape people’s lives, to push the emotions one way and then another. Individually, the pieces in this book are invariably fascinating. Collectively, they bring a deep, unique and compelling insight into the modern world of sport – the joy and the heartbreak, the pleasure and the pain.' Paul Rouse

'Intelligent, incisive and entertaining writing about sport and sportspeople.' Rachael English

***OUT NOW***

Behind the Lines, No. 2 is another collection of some of the year’s best sports stories produced by the award-winning team at The42, Ireland’s favourite sports app.

Ryan Bailey excavates his family history to piece together the story of his uncle, Busby Babes star Liam Whelan, on the anniversary of the Ireland midfielder’s death in the Munich Air Disaster.

Murray Kinsella spends an afternoon in Australia with Munster legend John Langford to reminisce on the province’s nascent glory days and a dressing room shared with Claw, Axel and ROG, while Eoin O’Callaghan talks to the players who were humbled by Katie Taylor on the football pitch.

Read the story of the inter-county kitman who almost gambled away his life, and the UFC hopeful living in a caravan in a gym car park as he works his way to Vegas from a life in prison... and much more.

This is longform writing for the sports fan in your life.

Praise for Behind The Lines, No. 2:

‘Fine sportswriting... as compelling as it is often amusing and touching. These are stories that go far beyond sport, and they still resonate long after they have been read.’ Donald McRae, The Guardian

‘A welcome addition to the genre.’Michael Lyster, The Sunday Game

‘More evidence that terrific sports writing is just terrific writing, period... The men and women writing for The42 provide an essential voice that speaks a universal language.’ Glenn Stout, The Best American Sports Writing

To celebrate the launch of Behind The Lines, No. 4, we've created a collection which includes all four previous editions of our sportswriting anthology at a special price.

Enjoy the complete collection of the series which has been described as "sportswriting at its most Irish and most eloquent".

This collection is available at a special rate of €30 plus postage, but is unfortunately limited and only available while stocks last.

The42.ie presents She Can!, a colouring book featuring some of Ireland’s best-known female athletes, with drawings by award-winning illustrator Chris Judge.

From world champion boxer Katie Taylor to codebreaking footballer Sarah Rowe and track icon Gina Akpe-Moses, She Can! is the colouring book for tomorrow’s Irish sports stars.

Colour them in, tear them out, and hang them on your bedroom wall. If she can, so can you!