:: Dungannon Rugby Club :: by stagetimes.com

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Stewart McKinney visits on Saturday 24.10.09

This coming Saturday Stewart McKinney, Dungannon Rugby Club Life Member and the former Dungannon, King’s Scholars, Ulster, Ireland, British & Irish Lions flanker will at the pre match lunch. Stewart has carried out his promise (or threat) to publish some ‘stories’ collected during his illustrious rugby career. To quote from the Daily Telegraph which recommends Stewart’s book as one of their stocking fillers for Christmas reading. This book, “Is a splendid collection of reminiscences from a galaxy of rugby stars,” and “it merits inclusion on quality grounds.”
‘Voices From the Back of the Bus’ published by Mainstream £16.99 contains reminiscences of fifty-five Lions, from Jack Kyle and Cliff Morgan through David Duckham to Jeremy Guscott plus many other international rugby personalities including our own Paddy Johns and Willie Anderson. Half of the royalties will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.
Stewart is very excited about the early reviews and will be available to sign copies of the book after the AIB League game against Ulster rivals Ballynahinch.
This will be your chance to get the stocking filler.

The Western Mail’s book critic Katie Norman said,
“It has long since become a game of multi-million-pound contracts and lucrative sponsorship deals, a world away from the gritty realities experienced by its amateur Welsh heroes of the 1970s.
But rugby’s bygone world of pranks and backroom scrapes has been vividly brought back to life thanks to the self-penned memories of more than 100 of the sport’s stars from its most recent golden age. Welsh greats Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, Bobby Windsor and Mervyn Davies are among the top names contributing to the book, Voices from the Back of the Bus, compiled by former Irish international and 1974 Lions tourist Stewart McKinney.
The book features a host of priceless tales of friendship and humour harking back to the days when players were allowed to claim only one phone call home on expenses during the Lions tours.”

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