The GAA is the largest sports body in Ireland and one the largest amateur sporting associations in the world. Its contribution to social and civic life in twentieth-century Ireland has been incalculable. Until 1980, there was no published history of the Association. In that year, the first edition of Marcus de Burca's survey appeared and immediately established itself as the definitive work. This revised and updated edition brings the story of the GAA to the end of the century and covers the changes and challenges faced by the Association in the 1980s and 1990s

 Among the matters addresses in the new edition are the changed playing rules in Gaelic football, the astonishing revival of public interest in hurling and the introduction of the "back door" format in the championship, the development of Croke Park as a stadium of international standard and many other matters. This new edition of Marcus de Burca's GAA will confirm its position as the outstanding work on the subject.