The White Heat – My Autobiography: Growing Up in Ireland’s Greatest GAA Dynasty

‘I went as hard as I could for as long as I could’

When Tomás Ó Sé retired from the Kerry senior panel in 2013, he did so as one of the longest-serving players in intercountry history and one of its most prolific winners.

‘Tomás epitomised everything that Kerry football is all about. His commitment, determination and never say die attitude were plainly visible every time he took to the pitch. He was a warrior and the best wing back that I have seen play the game.’
Éamonn Fitzmaurice, Kerry senior team manager

But his drive and determination weren’t forged in a vacuum: they came from growing up in a family and place where Gaelic football was all that mattered. For Tomás and his brothers Marc and Darragh, football always came first – each of them inspired by the larger-than-life personality of their uncle Páidí, the talisman of Kerry’s fabled team of the early 1980s.

In his memoir, an account of his upbringing and time in the Championship cauldron competing alongside and against the sport’s modern greats, Tomás writes candidly about life as a member of Ireland’s greatest sporting dynasty: the victories and disappointments, the rivals and roguery, the clashes and confrontations … not to mention the tremendous responsibility that came with donning the green and gold of Kerry.

Moving, thrilling and frequently hilarious, The White Heat is an exploration of what it means to eat, sleep and bleed Gaelic Games.