"If you're from Tullamore and you've got an interest in GAA - or even if you don't have an interest in GAA - you'd have to be living in a vacuum not to be cognizant of the Furlongs and the contribution they made to the GAA in the town and in the county."
The Furlongs are certainly heavyweights when it comes to Offaly GAA and it is their story that is the subject of a new book, The Furlongs, by author Pat Nolan.
Nolan and former three-time All Ireland winning goalkeeper and four-time All Star, Martin Furlong - who admitted he was initially reluctant to be involved in the book project - joined us in studio to talk about the latter's family history in the GAA.
The book transcends sport and details family history with a focus on emigration through the example of Martin's brother Tom who left for the United States and flirted with a career as an NFL kicker.
Nolan and Furlong explained how Tom almost made his name in American Football and why he cruelly missed out on his NFL ambitions .
Furlong also spoke about the bond that exists between the 1982 All Ireland-winning Offaly side to this day.
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