As Britain hosts the Summer Olympic Games in London, we look back on the first great modern Olympic confrontation between the United States – most of whose top athletes were Irish – and Britain, which took place in London in 1908. Notably, they were the last Olympic Games at which the judging committee was made up entirely of people from the host country. In 1908, as the … [Read more...] about Running Rings Around the Empire: The 1908 Olympics
Sports Archives
The Naming of Winged Fist Way
A stretch of 43rd Street and 48th Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens, received a second name on March 10. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, it became Winged Fist Way, in honor of the Irish American Athletic Club. The I-AAC, whose members were known as The Winged Fists, thrived in Sunnyside at the beginning of the 20th century as one of New York’s first inclusive, multicultural … [Read more...] about The Naming of Winged Fist Way
GAA Takes Off in Texas
In Dallas, Texas, it’s all about community and camaraderie over competition. Spurred by the success of the Celtic Cowboys, a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) league formed in Austin in 2004, Fionn Mac Cumhaill GAA was founded in Dallas in 2010. Emmett Long, Brian Geraghty, Kevin McCann, Paddy Walsh and Davey Devlin were among the founding members – all from Ireland. They sent … [Read more...] about GAA Takes Off in Texas
Honey Fitz & Sweet Caroline: A Century of Fenway
The Red Sox and the City of Boston celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of America’s most beloved ballparks. Honey Fitz, aka John Francis Fitzgerald, would have loved the pageantry of “Fenway 100,” the celebration of Boston’s Fenway Park on April 20, 2012. The grandfather of President John F. Kennedy would have especially relished the sight of his descendants, … [Read more...] about Honey Fitz & Sweet Caroline: A Century of Fenway
The Glory Days of Celtic Park
One of the premier track- and-field training facilities in the world in its time, Celtic Park produced more than two dozen Olympic medalists who collectively won more than 50 medals for the U.S. Olympic team, and more than a dozen for other countries. In the early 20th century, amateur athletics were viewed as a rich man’s leisure activity, a notion largely influenced by … [Read more...] about The Glory Days of Celtic Park