The USA Women’s National Hockey Team came away with their first gold medal since the sport was introduced to the games in 1998, beating Canada in the final round on February 22 in a 3-2 nail-biting shootout. Chief among those responsible for the team’s historic win is none other than Irish American Maddie Rooney (right), Team USA’s 20-year-old goalie. She made 29 saves through … [Read more...] about USA Women’s Hockey Team Wins Gold with a Rooney at the Goal
Olympics
Weekly Comment: Meet Ireland’s Olympians
February 22, 2018
With the Olympics closing ceremony this weekend, get to know the Irish competitors. Though none came away with medals, there was plenty of spirit to go around. ℘℘℘ The 2018 Winter Olympics, held this year in Pyeongchang, South Korea, saw Ireland represented by five singular athletes who competed in a host of skiing and snowboarding events. Though not all of them were born and … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: Meet Ireland’s Olympians
The Irish Olympic Diaspora
Ireland had a reasonable showing at the 2016 Summer Olympics with two silver medals, including the country’s first for rowing (see right). But what about the Irish diaspora? How did the descendants of emigrants fare in the Rio games? And what would Ireland’s team score have looked like if the diaspora competed as a country? Here are the most obviously Irish medalists from … [Read more...] about The Irish Olympic Diaspora
Silver Streak:
Ireland’s Olympic Medals
Gary and Paul O’Donovan, of Lisheen, Co. Cork, made history at the Rio Olympic Games in August when they secured the country’s first ever medal in a rowing event. The brothers, who sped from fifth position at the halfway point, came in second place in the lightweight men’s double sculls, a feat which also marked Ireland’s first medal won at this year’s Olympics.
The brothers’ … [Read more...] about Silver Streak:
Ireland’s Olympic Medals
Rory McIlroy Withdraws From 2016 Olympic Games
Rory McIlroy, who was chosen to represent Ireland in Brazil’s 2016 Olympic games, announced in July that he would not be competing. The Northern Irish golfer issued an official statement, explaining that his concerns about the mosquito-borne Zika virus were behind this change of heart. The virus has been speculated to result in extreme birth defects when passed from mother to … [Read more...] about Rory McIlroy Withdraws From 2016 Olympic Games