Pulse of the Nation - Donal Keenan, Martin Breheny

''Invaluable . . . A whistle-stop tour down through the ages'' Jarlath Burns, GAA PresidentThe ultimate book to celebrate 140 years of Ireland''s greatest sporting and cultural institution - The GAA.Pulse of the Nation is a celebration of the GAA''s 140 years at the centre of Irish life, from its foundation inNovember 1884 to the present-day institution that has expanded massively at home and abroad.It zones in on the greatest players in football and hurling, ranking them one-to-ten, accompanied by profiles, in each of the fifteen positions in both codes.The ''greatest day'' for all 32 counties is explored, along with a trawl through the various competitions, from the All-Ireland championships with their ''Heartbeat of the Irish Summer'' billing, to those that were once popular but are no longer in place.Controversies are examined, the changed managerial environment is assessed - including the impact ofsome of the biggest names from Kevin Heffernan to Mick O''Dwyer, from Brian Cody to John Kiely - and the covers are lifted on the GAA''s role in Ireland''s social and cultural history, including the growth in popularity of camogie and ladies'' football. Written by award-winning sports journalists Martin Breheny and DonalKeenan, this is the ultimate publication for the GAA''s 140th anniversary.