The Hamilton Notes

The incomparable George Hamilton returns with a superb offering of travails and anecdotes spanning his five decades on our airwaves and on our screens, always at the heart of Irish culture. Picking up where his first book, The Nation Holds Its Breath, left off, George continues to illuminate the path that took him from the Cregagh Road in Belfast to the most extraordinary locations across the world. Whether going behind the scenes of his beloved Lyric FM show or reliving the dramatic events of the 100-metre final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the reader will be captivated once more by George’ s storytelling as he expertly weaves tales and paints the most evocative pictures. Sport, music and travel are intertwined throughout – George’ s love for all three evident on every page. His writing style is consistently surprising; the reader is never quite certain where George is taking them but few will be able to resist being caught up in the stories and going along for the ride. The Hamilton Notes is a delightful manifestation of that old adage – ‘ It’ s not the destination, it’ s the journey.’ And there could be no finer raconteur to guide the reader along the way.

George Hamilton has worked in broadcasting for four decades. Best known as the chief football commentator for RTÉ , he covers a wide variety of high-profile sporting events for the national broadcaster, including the Olympic Games. Since 2002, he has presented The Hamilton Scores, a twice-weekly classical music show on Lyric FM. His first memoir, The Nation Holds Its Breath, was published by Merrion Press in 2021 and was shortlisted for an An Post Irish Book Award that year.