Irish America

Irish America

Olympics

Lady Mary Peters: a champion of sport and community

By Ray Cavanaugh

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Consisting of high jump, hurdles, long jump, shot put and running, the women's pentathlon was likely the best all-around measure of female athleticism. It is not much of a logical leap to conclude that the winner of the Olympic women's pentathlon (which has since added two events to become a heptathlon) was the most physically able woman on the planet. Out of roughly 2 billion … [Read more...] about Lady Mary Peters: a champion of sport and community

A Coach, a Friend, a Mentor, and a
Chariots of Fire Moment

By Joe Quinlan
IA Newsletter, August 3, 2024

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The 21st century Paris Olympics are in full swing … exactly 100 years since the 1924 Olympics, made famous by the Oscar-winning “Chariots of Fire” movie (cue the theme music and the iconic beach running scene). Some 50 years ago, I had a brief intersection with those same Olympics, but youthful arrogance on my part limited the impact. In September 1975, I had a chance encounter … [Read more...] about

A Coach, a Friend, a Mentor, and a
Chariots of Fire Moment

100 Years of Ireland at the Olympics

By Mary Cucinell
IA Newsletter, July 27, 2024

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The eyes of the world were on Paris for the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony on Friday with 300,000 spectators expected to be in attendance and another 1.5 billion watching from around the world as Team Ireland sends its largest delegation of athletes.Paris 1924In 1924, history unfolded at the Paris Olympics! For the very first time, an Irish delegation marched proudly under the … [Read more...] about 100 Years of Ireland at the Olympics

News Roundup April 9, 2022

By Róisín Chapman
IA Newsletter April 9, 2022

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World Irish Dance ChampionshipsBelfast is hosting the World Irish Dance Championships from April 10-17 and for the first time, the event will be streamed online in its entirety (via subscription) on FeisTV. This annual event, which draws thousands of Irish dancers from around the world, is hosted by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (The Irish Dancing Commission) In 1975, at age … [Read more...] about News Roundup April 9, 2022

Olympic Rowing Greats

Summer 2021

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Billions of viewers watched the Tokyo Olympics this summer. And there were countless feature stories about the 1964 Olympics, when Japan first hosted the games, including a detailed recounting of the historic showdown between German and American teams in the eight-man rowing competition, a marquis event in that era, however, none mentioned the Irish American connection, until … [Read more...] about Olympic Rowing Greats