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Ken McGrath is an icon in Waterford and beyond. He won three All-Star hurling awards and embodied the defiance and panache that re-established his county as a hurling superpower. And in a career marked with skill and bravery in equal measure, Ken McGrath has overcome serious injuries to produce match-winning performances.


But a dazzling playing career is only half the story. In the firestorm of the downturn McGrath lost his sports shop. Then he was stricken with a brain haemorrhage and later, after months of uncertainty in hospital, he was diagnosed with a heart problem which necessitated life-saving surgery. And it is a measure of the esteem in which he’s held that one summer’s evening, at Walsh Park, almost ten thousand supporters attended a benefit game to show their appreciation for one of the greatest-ever hurlers.


Hand On Heart tells the tales of the great rivalries with Cork and Kilkenny, championship wins with Mount Sion and the on-field controversies that had everyone talking. It’s also the extraordinary and inspiring story of how Ken McGrath overcame serious illness after an incredible fight for life. As both a sporting and a human story, Hand On Heart is a truly remarkable and uplifting read.

Ken McGrath