A lively look at our age-old sporting roots

Non-fiction; Sport and Ireland: A History; By Paul Rouse; Oxford University Press, €40

The opening ceremony of the Tailteann Games at Croke Park in Dublin in 1924 Pic: Getty

The Tailteann Games, also known as the Irish Olympics, have now faded from popular memory. Supported by the Free State government, they first took place in 1924 and, remarkably, were the largest sporting event in the world that year, exceeding the Paris Olympics in size.

The opening ceremony in Croke Park attracted 20,000 spectators, and 5,000 competitors participated in the different games. Though the Games were repeated in 1928 and 1932, they were ...