The Battle (Paperback)

The years of O'Connell and O'Driscoll were as close to a golden age as ever Ireland will get and O'Connell's book tells you how it all happened ... It should be mandatory for every Irish squad member to read O'Connell's book to better understand what it takes to make a team - David Walsh, Sunday Times

The intense physicality of his rugby upbringing is an abiding theme ... along with humour, the craic and an extensive knowledge of how teams work - Paul Hayward, Daily Telegraph

I found The Battle entrancing - Stephen Jones, Sunday Times

Excellent ... [an] eye-opening account of the never-ending battles he fought - Rugby World

Fascinating ... the recollections of life with the British and Irish touring team leap out as highlights - Daily Mail

A fascinating insight into what has driven him and how his approach to the game changed over time. The inner tensions of possibly the most intense competitor of his generation are laid bare in The Battle. - Shane Horgan, Sunday Times

Revelatory ... Unflinchingly charts his personal evolution ... He is not at all easy on himself - Keith Duggan, Irish Times

It is pure O'Connell ... Players and coaches from all sports will have the pencil out, finding nuggets - Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner

Absorbing and compelling ... The O'Connell who dominates this book is the one who becomes fixated on the mentality of champions - Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times

O'Connell has emptied the tank here. ... What has come out ... is a psychological profile that is almost shocking at times in what it reveals about the bloody single-mindedness of the competitive gene - Irish Independent

A fantastic book - Sean O'Rourke, RTE Radio One

He is a standard-bearer for the country and someone whose principles, moral compass, ideals and heroic virtue make us wish our children would aspire to be someone like him - Neil Francis, Sunday Independent

An exceptional book ... tremendously honest - Matt Cooper, Today FM

Engaging, honest and insightful. Terrific - Ryle Nugent

Honest, fair and devoid of self-pity ... reflects on his life without a shred of hypocrisy or recrimination - Paul Rees, Observer

A stunning achievement - Irish Mail on Sunday

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} Provides many revealing insights into the mind of a born winner - Sunday Business Post

Brilliant, bruising - Donal Ryan, Sunday Independent