The Bloodied Field: Croke Park. Sunday 21 November 1920

Michael Foley's extraordinary book ... highly recommended

one of the stand-out books last year

the critically acclaimed The Bloodied Field ... A familiar story told as never before.

well-researched and enormously readable book

reads like a thriller

Cork-born author Michael Foley appears to have mastered a particular genre of GAA book writing which requires considerable ability and attention to detail in order to be a success ... [he] has set a high standard that anyone else who dares to venture down this tricky path will find difficult to emulate

outstanding

a must read for both GAA and Irish history buffs ... Foley's book is one that will be read for years to come, by both sports fans and history scholars'

already now an Irish classic

one of the best Irish sports books of the year

for those of you who might think this is a history book, think again ... a very interesting read

Irish sport book of the year in my mind

reading it at the moment ... and I think it's a fantastic piece of work

a must read for all history and sporting folk

far and away, my book of the year .... this is one of those books that transcends sports ... brilliant ... the book of the year

A stunning read. Builds the suspense superbly during the day with personal accounts of all the main protagonists involved on Bloody Sunday and its aftermath. Michael Foley has done not just the GAA, but the country, a service in putting this book together. It is a film waiting to happen. Historical research of this nature could have been heavy and lost the interest of the reader quickly, but he takes his painstaking research and turns it into a gripping thriller. Just brilliant.

incredible

the definitive account of Bloody Sunday 1920 ... amazing ... phenomenally well put together ... one of the best books that I've read in a long time

Among the sports writing fraternity of the GAA, a healthy competition began rousing itself around 15 years ago, leading to over a decade of left-field 'concept' books and superb documenting of Gaelic Games. The trickle-down effect has emboldened many writers willing to experiment on their work. Each Christmas, Gaelic Games has a glut of sports books produced. For an indigenous sport and an amateur one at that, it is possibly even over-subscribed with capable authors. The high-water mark this Christmas, and for a few more, might just be reached by the release of Michael Foley's 'The Bloodied Field'... This is a rich book. It has soul and a beating heart and it stands alone as an astonishing, affecting piece of work. If you are in the habit of visiting Croke Park, you will never look at it again with the same eyes. Only greatness can achieve that effect. And this book is great

I couldn't put it down ... a fabulous piece of work ... read like a thriller ... he builds the suspense superbly ... a testament to the brilliance of Michael Foley, one of our best sportswriters ... you can tell from the opening page he has absolutely nailed this book

the best ... a sports book, a history book, a thriller ... the writing is a treat ... Foley weaves every strand together with an expert hand for a book that makes everything else look unambitious

the book of the year in terms of sports books .... so well-written ... he takes you there ... I can't imagine too many better non-fiction books have been released this year in any genre

rarely has a sports book told you more about and Ireland at one moment in time ... probably the most exhaustively and best researched mainstream Irish sports book ever, yet reads like the best of historical novels

thanks to ... The Bloodied Field ... we now have a much more vivid and greater understanding of the frightening events that happened

brilliant

truly brilliant