Stephen Rea, from Belfast, is a freelance writer based in New Orleans who has contributed to national and international newspapers, magazines, and Web sites for over twenty years. He has covered a range of news stories, from the Gulf War and terrorist attacks in London to the resignation of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Rea attended Campbell College in his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland and studied journalism at the United Kingdom's National Council for the Training of Journalists.
After his move to New Orleans, Rea struggled to find an outlet for his love of football. He discovered an Irish bar in New Orleans's Mid-City area called Finn McCool's, an eccentric blend of locals and ex-pats. The men eventually formed a club team and joined a league - the perfect place for Rea to play soccer and express his love of the game. He wrote Finn McCool's Football Club
while he was displaced to Houston, Texas, after Hurricane Katrina, and the story follows not only Rea's struggles through that difficult period, but the rest of the team's as well.This luminous, gripping work follows them as they rebuild their lives and their team. With a masterful combination of dry humour and astute profundity, Rea reflects on his adopted city, providing powerful insights into the lives of the foreign-born and minority groups that stayed behind during Katrina because they had little to lose. Filled with equally hilarious and sobering anecdotes and no shortage of good football stories, Rea seamlessly weaves his experiences alongside his teammates’ harrowing survival stories. A breathtaking and incredible debut celebrating camaraderie, sportsmanship, and survival, ‘Finn McCool’s Football Club’ stands out as a haunting and powerful memoir filled with laughter, loss, astonishment, and, of course, football.
After his move to New Orleans, Rea struggled to find an outlet for his love of football. He discovered an Irish bar in New Orleans's Mid-City area called Finn McCool's, an eccentric blend of locals and ex-pats. The men eventually formed a club team and joined a league - the perfect place for Rea to play soccer and express his love of the game. He wrote Finn McCool's Football Club
while he was displaced to Houston, Texas, after Hurricane Katrina, and the story follows not only Rea's struggles through that difficult period, but the rest of the team's as well.This luminous, gripping work follows them as they rebuild their lives and their team. With a masterful combination of dry humour and astute profundity, Rea reflects on his adopted city, providing powerful insights into the lives of the foreign-born and minority groups that stayed behind during Katrina because they had little to lose. Filled with equally hilarious and sobering anecdotes and no shortage of good football stories, Rea seamlessly weaves his experiences alongside his teammates’ harrowing survival stories. A breathtaking and incredible debut celebrating camaraderie, sportsmanship, and survival, ‘Finn McCool’s Football Club’ stands out as a haunting and powerful memoir filled with laughter, loss, astonishment, and, of course, football. Meanwhile back here in N.I.as Brazil plays in South Africa all we can do is sing...
We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland,
We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland,
We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland,
But its all the same to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment