By Patrick R. Redmond Undoubtedly, the highest visibility of people of colour in Ireland has historically, together with music and acting, been in sport. Recent immigration has enlarged this catchment, with first- and second-generation athletes of African heritage like Chiedozie Ogbene and Rhasidat Adeleke becoming well-known celebrities. However, the phenomenon of the African athlete in … Read more
By Fintan Lane Road bowling—an elemental and deeply rooted sporting tradition in Ireland—has fascinated many with its blend of skill, physical endurance and local pride. It is a curious game that can feel like an archaic leftover from wildly different times, before roads were made perilous by heavy traffic. Played by pitching a 28oz. iron … Read more
By Jack Hepworth To many outside observers, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) might have appeared in robust health in the 1950s. At the élite level of hurling and Gaelic football alike, the All-Ireland championships attracted enormous interest. On 27 September 1953, 86,000 spectators packed into Croke Park to watch Kerry overturn a half-time deficit and … Read more
By Brian Griffin Scholars such as Eileen Reilly, Caitriona Clear, Niamh Gallaher and Fionnuala Walsh have documented the important contribution that Irish women made towards the United Kingdom’s war effort during the First World War. One of the main topics which they have explored is women’s involvement in supporting British servicemen, either in Voluntary Aid … Read more
By James Bennett ‘There are more cricket clubs and unofficial “elevens” in Co. Dublin per square mile than in any other part of Ireland. This ancient game … is played enthusiastically on almost every village green.’ (Drogheda Independent, 19 September 1936) Sports historians and various commentators have provided many reasons for cricket’s decline from a … Read more