Joe Canning

The youngest of seven children from a renowned Portumna hurling family, Joe Canning was regarded as a prodigy from the moment he stepped onto the pitch as a boy. Could he really be as great as everyone said he was? The answer appeared to be yes when, aged just 19, he burst onto the national radar scoring 2–12 for Galway and very nearly winning the game for his team against Cork. From that moment on, Canning’s form was never less than excellent but it would be another nine summers before he lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup, the whole country becoming fixated on his quest: could Joe Canning be the greatest hurler never to win an All-Ireland medal? In his highly anticipated memoir, Joe delves into the highs and lows of a remarkable career – the standards of excellence he at times felt chained to, the suffocation of trying to meet other people’s expectations, his parents’ battles with cancer and the perspective that brought as he strove for greatness. Joe also shares the joy at seeing his parents’ faces – the ones he did it all for – when that All-Ireland win finally did happen, and he talks about how he made peace with his decision to retire.