GAA. Official Guide, 1961. CUMANN LÚTCLÉAS GAEL (GAELIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION).

Treorai Oifigiúil / Official Guide. Dublin: Croke Park, 1961. Printed at O’Gorman Printinghouse, Galway.

Crown octavo. pp. 160 (approx). Original grey cloth, titled in blue on upper cover with the G.A.A. crest stamped in the centre. A very good copy, tight and clean. Irish paper. Ownership stamp of St. Barnabas Hurling & Football Club on title-page and pastedown.

A scarce official handbook issued by the Central Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association, containing the complete Constitution and Rules of the Association as revised and corrected up to date in 1961. Published in both Irish and English, this edition appeared in the years leading up to the centenary reflections on the Association’s early decades and is a valuable snapshot of the G.A.A.’s internal governance and community structures at mid-century.

Includes full sections on club and county administration, membership, disciplinary procedures, and the codified rules for hurling and Gaelic football. Printed on Irish paper and distributed to affiliated clubs across Ireland and Britain. Surviving examples in such clean condition are uncommon, particularly in the original grey publisher’s cloth rather than the later wrappers.

An evocative artefact of Irish sporting and cultural history, marking the enduring institutional role of the G.A.A. in defining national identity during the twentieth century.

Not in COPAC or WorldCat for this year’s edition. Earlier and later issues recorded at NLI.

[WR GAA]