In Showbusiness with Blood, Eamon Carr beguiles the reader with an insightful account of the world's greatest boxers, from Steve Collins to Mike Tyson to Tyson Fury and Katie Taylor.
Boxing, Ireland's most successful Olympic sport, became turbo-charged in the mid-90s. A golden age followed as Irish boxers excelled in the harsh, violent and sometimes tragic business that is professional boxing. Having become enamoured of the sport during a period of serious illness as a child, Eamon Carr was on hand to witness the victories and disasters.
The core principle of prize-fighting - striking and defence - demands enormous courage each time the boxer steps forward. Surrounded by enthusiastic fans, the ring can yet be the loneliest place in the world. Ireland embodies this tradition with renewed focus over the past three decades in a golden age of boxing.
Showbusiness with Blood takes the reader on an intimate journey through Irish boxing's years of triumph and desolation. Carr's enthusiasm for the sport illuminates the dark corners of the fight game with stories from gruelling training camps, noisy press conferences, behind-the-scenes hustling and the savage brutality of championship fights.
These are stories of aspiration and devastation. Yet amid the chaos and destruction of the boxing ring are inspirational tales of courage, resilience and personal redemption: boxing's enduring saving grace
Featured boxers include: Steve Collins, Wayne McCullough, Bernard Dunne, Darren Sutherland, Tyson Fury, Jamie Conlan, Andy Lee, John Joe Nevin, Katie Taylor, Willie Casey, Carl Frampton, Michael Conlan, Mike Tyson, Seamus McDonagh, Conor McGregor, Martin Rogan, Michael Carruth, Francis Barrett, Matthew Macklin and Gary 'Spike' O'Sullivan.
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'In his compelling and beautifully-written book, Eamon Carr does not shy away from the darkness and danger of boxing but, at the same time, he draws us deep into its vivid and mysterious world. It flows with riveting stories of great fighters - an unforgettable addition to the rich history of Irish boxing.' Donald McRae, The Guardian 'Eamon Carr is an extraordinary figure in Irish journalism and Showbusiness with Blood: A Golden Age of Irish Boxing is an extraordinary book. These are the stories of Irish boxing and they are told with tenderness and affection; they are, most profoundly, stories of "aspiration, violence and catastrophe". ... He never loses his critical distance, yet empathy for those who put themselves through the most brutal of sports underpins every word he writes. ... If there are lessons for journalists in this book, they are about being open to experience, to be endlessly curious and, above all else, to be there. This is shoe-leather journalism on a higher plane.' Dion Fanning, Irish Independent 'A wonderful telling of a time for Irish boxing that reads now like a golden age ... at its heart this is a story about boxers and the sport's unique ability to repel and enthral while magnifying any aspect of the human condition.' Michael Foley, The Sunday Times 'Very unique - the best boxers in history are in it ... an absolutely brilliant book.' The Six O'Clock Show, Virgin Media TV 'With an unfiltered lens on the heart and soul of Irish boxing's greatest era, Horslips's Eamon Carr unveils narratives often left untold. ... The pages are filled with detailed first-hand accounts of riveting slug fests, mind games and tales of triumph. The book also doesn't shy away from the sport's less-documented, darker aspects - the other heavyweight bouts boxers face - depression, life-threatening injuries, the gruelling shifts in weight they put themselves through when preparing for fights.' Riccardo Dwyer, Hot Press 'His marvellous writing, up there with the George Plimptons of this world, brings these fights alive again and each chapter is packed with incident. ... He writes with humour, sympathy and great understanding about the sport he loves - which is nothing less than the sweet science deserves.' Pat Carty, Sunday Business Post 'In this mix of top-tier journalism and personal testament, Carr has written a unique book about the sport he loves and its heroes, while squaring up to its shadier connections with crime and the inherent dangers in the ring. It's exquisitely, passionately written.' Anne Cunningham, Meath Chronicle
'His book is a work of art and segues beautifully between stories of his youth and the tales from ringside ... Carr's accounts of the joy and pain is beautifully written and accounted throughout.' David Mohan, BelfastMedia.com 'A superbly written must-read for boxing fans.' Sunday Independent 'Infused with all the nuance and experience of a writer who has seen the fight game from every angle. And still comes back to it, despite everything.' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times 'Carr had a ringside view of what we now look back on as a golden era for Irish boxing and the book benefits from his empathy with those who put their lives on the line in the toughest game of all.' Irish Star 'His writing is a charm, cool and crisp, as he takes the reader into sweaty gyms and a world of devious, greedy promoters and managers, pushing relentlessly their fighters.' Irish Examiner 'Carr was there for it all, in the dressing rooms, at the press conferences and hotel bashes, and, most importantly, at the fights themselves which he brings to life again in prose that George Plimpton would have considered a good day's work. It's all recounted, from the tragedy of Darren Sutherland to the triumph of Katie Taylor, with humour and insight. The book the sweet science warrants.' Pat Carty, Hot Press
'With an unfiltered lens on the heart and soul of Irish boxing's greatest era, Horslips's Eamon Carr unveils narratives often left untold. ... The pages are filled with detailed first-hand accounts of riveting slug fests, mind games and tales of triumph. The book also doesn't shy away from the sport's less-documented, darker aspects - the other heavyweight bouts boxers face - depression, life-threatening injuries, the gruelling shifts in weight they put themselves through when preparing for fights.' Riccardo Dwyer, Hot Press
'He writes with humour, sympathy and great understanding about the sport he loves - which is nothing less than the sweet science deserves.' Sunday Business Post
Eamon Carr is a member of Horslips. A journalist and art historian, he has been cultural commentator and reporter on news and sport for Independent Newspapers for over two decades. His published work includes The Origami Crow, Journey into Japan World Cup Summer 2002 (Seven Towers, 2008) and Deirdre Unforgiven: A Journal of Sorrows (Doire Press, 2013). His verse plays include DUSK (2016) and CuChulainn Awakes (2020).
