‘In Sunshine or in Shadow’ by Donald McRae is a book looking at the history of amateur boxing on both sides of the Troubles in Belfast and Northern Ireland, and the effect which the amateur eventually had on the pro game.
Over the past two years Donald McRae has become one of my favourite authors of any genre. His ability to compile flowing narrative and readable prose from what is clearly extensive research is truly impressive, and as a writer myself, something I can only hope to get anywhere near.
This particular book focuses on the lives and careers of two men in order to frame its story, first Gerry Storey, head coach and general force behind the Holy Family Boxing Club, and the former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan. For different reasons and in different ways, these two men stood out for the way they straddled and moved between both sides of the Troubles’ divide. The book also, importantly, examines how they both fell foul of some of the dangerous people on both sides.
McRae is such a great writer that he easily puts the boxing into context by highlighting just how hard it was during the 1970s and 80s for boxers and coaches to even move around their home cities, between the influence of paramilitary groups and the occupying British armed forces, never mind trying to train and organise amateur boxing events.
Like the club I train at regularly, Islington Boxing Club, The Holy Family provided an invaluable space for boxers to come together in a supportive and encouraging environment, and often a haven from violence, in the local area. People like Gerry Storey and the Haglands at IBC should be lauded not only for what they’ve given to the sport of amateur boxing, but also for what they’ve given to their local, often under-supported, communities.
Writers on Boxing 
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