Girls Play Too

Irish sportswomen have been breaking the mould for a long time. From Maeve Kyle becoming Ireland's first female Olympian in 1956, to motorsport pioneer Rosemary Smith breaking the land-speed record in 1978. Through the 1990s and 2000s we had world champions in Sonia O'Sullivan, Derval O'Rourke, and Olive Loughnane. More recently, the success of Katie Taylor, Kellie Harrington, and Annalise Murphy has kept Irish sportswomen on the global map. But amidst their success stories, the battle for recognition continues. Female athletes still receive only a small proportion of the media coverage their male counterparts receive. This book will break the mould once more with a first ever compendium of stories for young girls about our most accomplished contemporary sportswomen. With a fairy-tale touch, RTÉ's Jacqui Hurley tells the real-life stories of women who have proved that gender is not a barrier to success. Each story in Girls Play Too is one of overcoming adversity, and the role models celebrated here are sure to inspire the next generation of Irish sportswomen.