Strabane author presents new book to Pope Francis

A NEW book by a Strabane author, detailing the spiritual journeys of over 20 of Ireland’s greatest sports stars, hit the shelves this week and already has one very famous owner.

The book, entitled ‘Faith: In Search of Greater Glory in Sport’, is the brainchild of Strabane man Gerard Gallagher. Gerard has worked with the Catholic Church for over 30 years and has used that experience to investigate experiences of faith from a smattering of sporting elite on the island, both North and South.

However, the book has already reached the pinnacle of the Church after Gerard was afforded the opportunity to present a copy to Pope Francis.

The sporting luminaries whose stories have been documented in the book include boxing champions Katie Taylor and Barry McGuigan, Irish rugby international Josh Van Der Flier, retired Irish cyclist and winner of the 1988 Vuelta a España, and four green jerseys in the Tour de France Sean Kelly as well as athletes Ciara Mageean and Ronnie Delaney and cricketer Kyle Mc Callan among many more.

Also featured in the book is former horse racing commentator Tracy Piggott and John Boyers, retired chaplain at Manchester United FC.

In the book, each sports person talks in-depth about their deep faith; faith in themselves, faith in their teammates and backroom team, and faith in a greater power that can help them to reach their greatest potential on the biggest stages of their sporting careers.

l ‘Faith: In Search of Greater Glory in Sport’ is available now in all good bookstores (and also on Amazon as an ebook €9.99, paperback €20 and hardback €25).