It’s a little later this year but who’s counting and the fact that A Season of Sundays could be produced at all is cause for celebration.
Sportsfile’s annual review of the year is into its 24th year now and has become a sporting tradition, marking the end of each GAA season with a stunning collection of images.
This year’s offering was launched virtually online by GAA President John Horan, Limerick All Ireland winner Will O’Donoghue and Ray McManus, the founder and driving force behind Sportsfile.
The 2020 edition captures the highs and lows of an incredible GAA season with two of the highlights published above and below capturing the role that the GAA played in countering the pandemic through making stadia available as testing centres, and also the very different way in which we had to watch out games this year.
The highlights are expertly captured by the lenses of the Sportsfile photographers and enhanced by the GAA’s Communications chief Alan Milton’s perceptive captions.
“While we all knew that something was heading west we never thought it would have such an impact on Irish society and indeed on the world,” said McManus.
“I remember sitting at my desk waiting on the TV broadcast (by the Taoiseach) and trying to work out what would happen games and sports in general. That may seem somewhat selfish but it was my staff in Sportsfile I was really thinking of and how it would affect us as a group.”
“Little did I know then that a hashtag used by the Press Photographers Association of Ireland would never be more relevant. #CapturingHistory is what photographers do every day and this year was probably the best example ever. In this, the 24th edition of A Season of Sundays, I believe we have captured a most extraordinary year in Gaelic games.”
“When the historians or The National Museum of Ireland look back in 100 years’ time I hope that this pictorial record of a strange year will accurately reflect the 2020 GAA season.”
“Isn’t it fantastic to have a high-quality collection capturing the highs and lows of a season we thought we’d never see in our lifetime,” added John Horan.
“I’m delighted Ray and his team waited to capture the finals and the front cover picture of Gearóid Hegarty celebrating a memorable final performance and Limerick’s win underlines the importance of the finals to the season as a whole.”
“This year’s edition will doubtless be remembered for the many non-playing pictures it includes and in capturing them, Sportsfile have secured important snapshots in history. Congratulations to Ray and his team and also to Carroll’s of Tullamore for their ongoing support of this treasured publication.”
Copies of A Season of Sundays are available from bookstores nationwide and online from Sportsfile.com
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