The Children of Croke Park

It has been a phenomenal year for younger sports readers, one to make older ones seethe with envy that this breadth and quality just wasn’t around in our day. We’ll start with The Children of Croke Park by Michael Foley, the latest offering in the author’s one-man mission to preserve the memories of those who died in Croke Park on Bloody Sunday in 1920. These are the stories of Jerome O’Leary, William Robinson and John William Scott - the three youngest people killed that day - written in the style of a novel while using all the established facts from archives and his own research to carry the tale along. Foley’s quest to keep Bloody Sunday a living, breathing thing in 21st century Ireland is one of the great modern feats of public service journalism and we are all the better as a nation for it

-- Irish Times - Malachy Clerkin’s Best Sports Books of the Year

for children, I recommend Michael Foley’s account of Bloody Sunday 1920 through the eyes of three children who were there on the day

-- John Greene, Sunday Independent

This carefully researched book is unfailingly respectful to the memories of those who lost their lives, and the families who survived them

-- Irish Examiner

The Cork sportswriter brings a tragic episode in Irish history to life for a new generation, through the stories of three children who were killed when British forces opened fire on a Gaelic football match in Croke Park. A challenging subject well handled by Foley, whose thorough research is obvious throughout

-- Irish Examiner

tells the Bloody Sunday story in an engaging if poignant child-friendly fashion

-- Irish Examiner

a very good book which we both enjoyed … Some of the descriptions in the book were really good, because we could use our imaginations to see what things looked like and smelled like … It was very interesting to read about where the boys and their families lived, how many rooms they had, what they ate and what their neighbours were like. It really gave us a good idea of what life was like in Dublin at that time over 100 years ago. We really enjoyed reading about where their families came from, what jobs they did and what games they played’ Conor gave this book 7/10 and I (Patrick) gave it 9/10, so we agree on 8 out of 10 (4 stars out of 5) - By Patrick (aged 9) and Conor (aged 8)

-- Seomra Ranga

young readers will immediately engage with the everyday fun and squabbles in the story … What [Foley] does particularly well is sensitively balance necessary information about what happened to the children with gentle reverence towards their and their families’ experiences in a suitable way for young readers … With rich guidance on historical context, aftermath, the real people involved and how they are commemorated, this book is a great resource for reading at school and home

-- Inis Magazine

the very best in Irish children’s books published in 2023 ... The Children of Croke Park: Bloody Sunday 1920 by Michael Foley which looks at a key moment in the Irish war for independence

-- RTEJr

a great book which explained in detail what happened on Bloody Sunday … perfect for readers from nine years old, there is so much history in it but it’s easy to read and interesting

-- Irish Daily