“At some of the lowest points in my life, books have been my light in the darkness.”
For the first four years of his life Tony’s speech was delayed and he communicated in his own language.
Concerned by this, his mother sat him down every day during the summer (or as often as a Mum with six other kids could) and taught him how to speak properly by reading to him. This gave Tony his lifelong passion for reading.
After finishing an English degree in University of Galway Tony followed his passion for sport and human performance but his love for reading and writing was never far from his mind.
When he was finishing his Hurling career he joined forces with talented writer TJ Flynn to work on an sports autobiography with a difference. Based on four years of his own diaries the intention was to write the most honest sports memoir they could. This they did and Screaming at the Sky was released to international acclaim. Published by Random House it became a cult classic due to its searing honesty about the inner world of a high performing athlete. With a foreword by Lance Armstrong and beautiful writing this book broke the mould and exposed the limitations of confining male stereotypes. Screaming at the Sky will be re-published with an additional chapter in 2024.
BOOKS BY TONY GRIFFIN
Tony's first book, co-authored with TJ Flynn, was the highly acclaimed Screaming at the Sky. This book was inspired by four years of his diaries.
A memoir of sorts, it told the story of four wonderful, yet turbulent, years in his life. Screaming at the Sky became a best-seller due to the quality of its writing and searing honesty in how it depicted the inner world of a high performing athlete.
The Teenager's Book of Life isn't your typical self-help book filled with empty platitudes. It's raw, honest, and speaks directly to teenagers in a voice that actually gets what they're going through. Since its release in 2021, teenagers have been saying it feels like it was written just for them, and parents are using it as a bridge to understand and connect with their kids in ways they didn't think possible.
In 2025 Tony moved from non-fiction to fiction and started working on his first novel. It is called RED and is in the Young Adult Fiction genre.
“I never really saw myself as a writer. I just felt like I wanted to express everything inside myself. Sometimes I find it easier to do that when I write than through speaking. I never intended to write fiction but the story of RED came to me one day while on a lonely cycle in a rainstorm and by the time I got back to the car it was mapped out in my head. Writing it has been a humbling experience as I have learned that fiction is a different beast altogether and you must learn the craft.”