Brennan's autobiography wins top award

Trevor Brennan's autobiography Heart and Soul, written in conjunction with The Irish Times rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley, has won the 2007 William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year award.

The book was chosen from a short list of six which included From There to Here (Brendan Fanning), The Gambler (Oisín McConville with Ewan McKenna), Keys to the Kingdom (Jack O'Connor with Tom Humphries), Raiders of the Caribbean (Trent Johnston with Ger Siggins) and Kings of September (Michael Foley).

The book is the culmination of collaboration between Brennan and Thornley that dates back five years to a hugely popular weekly column in The Irish Times that chronicled the former Barnhall, Bective Rangers, St Mary's College, Leinster Toulouse and Ireland player's time in France.

A book seemed the natural upshot.

Speaking at yesterday's awards ceremony in Dublin, Brennan explained: "I was lucky enough to keep diaries for the last 15 years so I was able to pull down dates and the 'Fanatic', (Trevor's dad, Rory), kept scrapbooks on my career.

"It was great reference material.

"I said to Gerry that if we were going to do something, we were going to do it right and make a good job of it. In fairness to Gerry, he's been fantastic. The amount of work and research that Gerry has done in writing this book has been fantastic.

"He's given up a lot of family time in coming over to France and working with me. We have built up a good friendship.

" I'd a dream as a young fella, from a rugby point of view, of playing for Ireland. I made that dream come true.

"In this book people can see how those dreams can be achieved and I'd hope that people from all walks of life - working in banks or bookshops - that they might be inspired by something you read in this book and it might help other people go and achieve their dreams.

"I accept this award on behalf of the hundreds of other people mentioned in the book. Without those people there wouldn't be a book or a story."

On a lighter note, Brennan was asked whether there was any drink taken during the collaboration.

To sustained laughter he responded: "There was a lot of drink taken and the more drink the better the stories and the better Gerry wrote."