The First Sunday in September

'The First Sunday in September really is quite an achievement. The stories are vibrant and authentic, brimming with intensity and desire. I enjoyed it immensely.' - Donal Ryan 'Inventive and compelling, this lifts off the page. A visceral sports novel, and yet so tender.' - Danny Denton 'Imagine Raymond Carver meets Donal Ryan and you have Tadhg Coakley's novel. His writing is taut and vivid, his voice compelling and compassionate.' - Mary Morrissy 'The First Sunday in September takes us into the hearts and minds of a medley of characters who sometimes win but often lose, and whose experiences of life ring true.' - Madeleine D'Arcy It's All-Ireland Hurling Final Day. A hungover Clareman with gambling debts travels up to Dublin for the match, secretly hoping his county will lose. An Englishwoman attends the final with her partner, wondering when to tell him that she's pregnant. A long-retired player watches the match from the stands, his gaze repeatedly falling on the Cork captain, whom he and his wife gave up for adoption years earlier. Clare's star forward struggles under the weight of expectation. Cork's talisman waits for the sliothar to fall from the sky, aware that his destiny is already set. Technically daring and with an unforgettable cast of characters, The First Sunday in September announces an exciting new voice in Irish fiction. A mix of Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge and Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding.

Tadhg Coakley is from Mallow and lives in Cork city with his wife, Ciara. His debut novel The First Sunday in September was shortlisted for the Mercier Press fiction prize and published in 2018 to much acclaim. Donal Ryan described it as 'vibrant and authentic, brimming with intensity and desire'. Whatever It Takes is Coakley's second novel. His short stories, sports writing and essays have been widely published. He is a graduate of the MA in Creative Writing course in University College Cork.