Many know Funny Cide as the great chestnut gelding who just missed winning the Triple Crown, but few know the Irish people who were instrumental in bringing him to the forefront of racing. Having secured first place at Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Funny Cide was bred by third-generation Irish-American Joe McMahon and his wife Anne at Saratoga Thoroughbreds in New York. McMahon … [Read more...] about The Irish Side of Funny Cide
Sports
The Sporting Life
From King Kelly to Mark McGuire, Ron Kaplan traces the Irish influence in baseball. Irish ballplayers have helped to shape baseball ever since the game took its first foundering steps on the playing fields of New York and New Jersey over 150 years ago. Their impact is still felt. While no official organ of the game keeps records of ethnicity, one only has to glance through … [Read more...] about The Sporting Life
Cool Hand Corr
Karen Corr, one of the top pool players in the world, talks to Jill Fergus. ℘℘℘ "So, should we play a game?" It's just a game of pool, after all, but when the words are spoken by Karen Corr, the number one female player in the world, it does give one cause for trepidation. Nicknamed the "Irish Invader," Corr, the Northern Irish-born player, was in New York last October to … [Read more...] about Cool Hand Corr
The Fighting Irish
"Irish" Mickey Ward takes on Arturo Gatti again for $1.2 million ℘℘℘ Mickey Ward is a fighter. That's the first thing to know about him. Outside the ring, he's soft spoken and likeable. Inside the squared circle, he's something else. On May 18, 2002, Ward stepped into the ring against Arturo Gatti. It was a memorable fight marked by unremitting punishment and an extraordinary … [Read more...] about The Fighting Irish
Preparations Underway for Special Olympics — Ireland 2003
It is a logistical challenge, the likes of which Ireland has never seen before. Over a quarter of a million lunches will have to be made, 2,000 interpreters have to be found to speak more than 50 languages, accommodation has to be found for some 40,000 people, but with just over 200 days to go to the 2003 Special Olympics summer games, organizers say that preparations are … [Read more...] about Preparations Underway for Special Olympics — Ireland 2003