Devotion

A moving and lyrical memoir about life, love and loss, from a true giant of Gaelic games.

In a frenetic seven-year spell at the outset of his senior managerial career, Mickey Harte led Tyrone to four Ulster Championships and three All-Irelands. It was a run that shifted football’s balance of power, changed the way the game would be played for over a generation, and cemented his reputation as one of the most transformative figures in GAA history.

Then, in January 2011, the visitation of a shocking tragedy changed everything: Mickey’s daughter Michaela was murdered while on honeymoon in Mauritius, and the Harte family, grief-stricken, awoke to find themselves at the centre of an international news story.

Devotion, the product of a collaboration between Mickey and author Brendan Coffey, is many things. The story of a family’s decade-long struggle to come to terms with an almost unimaginable loss. A meditation on the ways in which faith, community, and sport can sustain us in our most difficult moments. And, finally, a portrait of one of Irish sport’s true icons, as he brings one legendary era to a close and steels himself for a final assault on the history books

Reviews

‘This is no ordinary memoir. Contained in the 312 pages is every conceivable emotion.
It is wonderfully lyrical, nostalgic, funny, dark, tragic, deeply emotional, honest and hopeful’ – Irish News

About the author

Mickey Harte managed the Tyrone county Gaelic football team from 2002 until 2020, the most successful senior manager in the county's history, having led it to its only three All-Ireland SFC titles, as well as six Ulster SFC titles, one National League and twelve Dr McKenna Cups. He currently manages the Louth county team.