LAST week, Waterstones enjoyed a record turn out for the launch of Eamonn Coleman’s memoir, The Boys of 93. 25 years has passed since the Ballymaguigan’s greatest achievement, leading Derry to their one and only All-Ireland title, though Coleman would probably have pointed out that it was the players’ achievement not his. The book is the result of his request to his beloved niece and Goddaughter Maria McCourt, to write his auto-biography. In 2002 McCourt, a former journalist and editor, sat down with her uncle to record his story.However, what she hoped would be years of research was cut short when
illness took hold of Eamonn. The project was put on hold. They revisted it again in the following years, but in 2007 he died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Over ten years later, Maria returned to the tapes after some cajoling from a friend, and managed to produce a book for publication within months. The book was launched last weekend, and the reaction stunned Coleman’s niece.

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