Ken McGrath

An icon in Waterford and beyond, Ken McGrath is one of only three players in the history of the GAA to collect All-Star hurling awards in three different lines of the field, and one of the only men in the last 50 years to play minor, U21 and senior hurling in the same season.

And in a career marked with skill and bravery in equal measure, Ken McGrath has overcome serious injuries to produce match-winning performances.


But a dazzling playing career is only half the story.

Ken McGrath is an icon in Waterford and beyond. He won three All-Star hurling awards and embodied the defiance and panache that re-established his county as a hurling superpower. And in a career marked with skill and bravery in equal measure, Ken McGrath has overcome serious injuries to produce match-winning performances.


But a dazzling playing career is only half the story. In the firestorm of the downturn McGrath lost his sports shop. Then he was stricken with a brain haemorrhage and later, after months of uncertainty in hospital, he was diagnosed with a heart problem which necessitated life-saving surgery. And it is a measure of the esteem in which he’s held that one summer’s evening, at Walsh Park, almost ten thousand supporters attended a benefit game to show their appreciation for one of the greatest-ever hurlers.


Hand On Heart tells the tales of the great rivalries with Cork and Kilkenny, championship wins with Mount Sion and the on-field controversies that had everyone talking. It’s also the extraordinary and inspiring story of how Ken McGrath overcame serious illness after an incredible fight for life. As both a sporting and a human story, Hand On Heart is a truly remarkable and uplifting read.