Sporting biographies can be a tough thing to get right. Life in a bubble of high-performance sport leaves little room at the time for other pursuits or even at times reflection but still, there is a market, and once in a while one comes onto the shelves that promises more than a romp through the wins and losses.
That is exactly what we hope will be the case with the autobiography of Kellie Harrington which she announced yesterday she is writing with Roddy Doyle.
There could hardly be a better matchup of talents that come wrapped in the blue flag of Dublin than the heroine of Portland Row and the Tokyo Olympics and the imagineer of Barrytown and creator of Sharon Rabbitte.
“When myself and Kellie decided to write her story together, I told her it would be an adventure,” said Doyle. “I was right – it is an adventure. Kellie uses her words like she uses her fists – brilliantly. She’s funny, sharp, honest, a born storyteller.”
“Working with Roddy has been an incredible experience and I have really enjoyed the process of revisiting the key moments of my past and remembering the twists and turns of my life,” added Harrington.
“There have been some very emotional and challenging times that have helped build resilience and character and has helped shape me into the person I am today. My hope is that readers will enjoy it too.”
It will be especially interesting to hear about Kellie’s thoughts on Katie Taylor, the professional boxing world and so much more.
The book will be published by Sandycove, the Dublin imprint of Penguin Books who publish the works of Liz Nugent, Sinead O’Connor and many more.
The expected publication date is October 2022.
