The Tailteann Games or Aonach Tailteann was an Irish sporting and cultural festival held in the Irish Free State in 1924, 1928, and 1932. It was intended as a modern revival of the Tailteann Games held from legendary times until the Norman invasion of Ireland; as such it drew inspiration from the Modern Olympics revival of the Ancient Olympics. Croke Park, the Dublin headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association, was the venue for the opening ceremony and many of the sports events, which were open to people of Irish birth or ancestry. The Tailteann Games were held shortly after the Summer Olympics, such that athletes participating in Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928 came to compete. Participants coming from England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, the USA, South Africa and Australia as well as Ireland. [1] Chess competitions were held in conjunction with the Irish Chess Union as part of the Tailteann Games. There were also artistic competitions and industrial displays. The games became regarded as a Cumann na nGaedheal project, and when that party lost power to Fianna Fáil after the 1932 election there was no financial backing for further games. [2]
This revival "meeting of the Irish race" was announced by Éamon de Valera in Dáil Éireann in 1921. The 1922 Irish Race Convention supported the plan for an "Irish Race Olympic". [3] However, due to the Anglo-Irish War and Civil War it was not held until 1924. [4] The meeting was launched to celebrate the independence of Ireland. The Hogan Stand was built and opened for the 1924 games. [1]
A report to revive the games was debated in the Dáil in June 1922. Modern sports such as motorcycling and shooting were to be included, along with a parade of massed choirs. The possibility of out-doing the Olympic Games was mentioned: "We have got representations from America to the effect that it would be advisable to depart from the idea of confining the Tailteann games to the Irish race and seeing that they predated the Greek Olympic by a thousand years we should be justified in entering upon a more varied programme." [5] The first games were held in August 1922, with JJ Walsh, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, as chair and Catherine Gifford Wilson, BA as secretary to the organisation.
Commemorative medals were struck for all three games, in gold, silver, silver gilt, and bronze. They depict Tailtiu, the patron deity of the ancient Tailteann Games, with inscription "An Bhainrioghan Tailte" ("Queen Tailte"). [6]
The games opened with the "Tailteann choir" singing the "Tailteann ode", with words by Oliver St. John Gogarty and music by Louis O'Brien. [7] The ode won Gogarty a bronze medal in the literature section of the 1924 Olympic art competition. The Irish flag was carried by Tom Kiely, winner of the 1904 Olympic all-around (decathlon) title. [8]
To increase the quality of the competition, some Olympic stars without Irish heritage were invited to compete as guests. [9]
The dissident Irish republican movement which had lost the Civil War urged a boycott of the games "falsely described as Aonach Tailteann", because it rejected the legitimacy of the Free State government which sponsored the games. [10] Rugby union was excluded from the program because the Irish Rugby Football Union was seen as "undemocratic and almost un-Irish". [11]
Billiards events were held in the Catholic Club in O'Connell Street.
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2024) |
Run in conjunction with the Irish Chess Union, there were three competitions, the overall competition was won by the reigning Irish Champion Philip Baker, the Major Competition was won by Lord Dunsany, with Aaron Sayers as runner-up. [12] Dublin Chess Club provided its premises in Regent House, Trinity College Dublin as well as equipment for use for the Competitions. [13]
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2024) |
The women's golf event was held at Portmarnock. [14] The Men's golf event may have been held at Dollymount.
In hurling, teams from England, Wales, the United States, Scotland, and Ireland played. [15]
A shinty–hurling match was played between Scotland team organised by the Camanachd Association and an Ireland team organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
The Camogie Association planned national and international camogie competitions, but withdrew after a dispute with the organisers, reflecting the anti-Free State bias of the association's leadership. An exhibition match was played without the association's sanction, [16] while an association "Ireland" team played in London.
The handball events were played in Ballymun and Clondalkin. [17]
Races took place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. [18]
Musical events came in several types and were held in a number of venues. There were performances and competitions. Some performances including operas took place in The Theatre Royal. Some competitions such as band contests were held in Ballsbridge and some were in the Metropolitan Hall in Lower Abbey Street. [18]
The rowing events were held at the centre of rowing in Ireland, namely, Islandbridge on the River Liffey. [18]
Swimming events were held in the pond at Dublin Zoo. [9] American Johnny Weissmuller and Australian Andrew "Boy" Charleton took part. [9]
Were held in Croke Park, Dublin. The American Harold Osborn, the 1924 Olympic high jump champion, won the same event in the Tailteann Games at Croke Park.
The Sailing events of 1924 were sailed in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) on Saturday in the second week of August.
Race | Class | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Yachts over 10 tons | 'Mavourneen', Mr. F. St. J. Worrall. [20] |
2 | 25 ft & 21 ft | 'Geraldine', Mr. W. McDowell. 'Darthula' Mr. W. Graham, 'Innisfallen' Messrs. Nesbitt & Weir. |
3 | Yachts up to 10 tons | 'Klysma', Mr. C. O'Loughlin. 'Bonita' Messrs. Hartnell & McGoogan, 'Mercia III' Mr.W.J. Smalldridge. |
4 | 17 ft | 'Echo', Mr. R. Hall 1st., Bobolink 2nd., Silver Moon 3rd. |
5 | Seapoint [Sailing Club] Class No. 2 & Clontarf [Yacht & Boat Club] class and similar classes | 'Falcon', Messrs. Hutchinson and Paine. |
6 | Shannon-One-Design | 1 S47 Edgar H. Waller ; 2 S32 N. Lionel Lyster ; 3 S35 A.G. Waller ; 4 S36 R. White ; 5 S34 Walter Levinge ; 6 S45 Tom Feely ; 7 S43 Jocelyn H. de W. Waller |
7 | Water Wags | 'Coquette', Mr. George H. Jones,1st, Mollie, A.E. Snow 2nd, Tomboy, Messrs Barrett & Donnelly 3rd. |
The Motor Boat event of 1924 took place in Dublin Bay in conjunction with the sailing regatta. Match on declared speed, allowances conceded at start. First boat at 4.15 pm. Shantax. winner.
W. B. Yeats persuaded the Royal Irish Academy to award prizes. The gold medal went to Stephen MacKenna for his translation of Plotinus; other winners were Oliver Gogarty, Francis Stuart, and James Stephens. A banquet presided over by T. M. Healy, the Governor-General of the Irish Free State, had an "oddly assorted" group of guests invited by Yeats, including Augustus John, Sir Edwin Lutyens, writers Compton Mackenzie, G. K. Chesterton, Lennox Robinson, and Carlos Magalhães de Azeredo; cricketers Ranjitsinhji and C. B. Fry; and diplomats Willem Hubert Nolens and Erik Palmstierna. Chesterton accepted the medal on his behalf of the absent MacKenna, who later refused it. [21]
An art and craft exhibition at the Royal Hibernian Academy displayed 1,597 works, more than half entered for competition in 32 categories. [22] The overall "Tailteann Trophy" went to Seán Keating's Homage to Hugh Lane. [23] Other gold medallists included Margaret Clarke, Francis Doyle Jones, Letitia Hamilton, Power O'Malley, and Patrick Tuohy. [23]
At the Theatre Royal two recent operas by Irish composers were performed: Geoffrey Molyneux Palmer's Sruth na Maoile (1922) and Harold White's Seán the Post (1924), along with Shamus O'Brien (1896) by Charles V. Stanford. [7] The last was not successful: "there seemed to be a greater number of people in the orchestra than in the audience". [24]
In the genre painting competition, Charles Lamb won a silver medal for Dancing at a Northern Crossroads, depicting a traditional crossroads dance. [25]
The programme for the 1928 games included athletics, billiards, boxing, camogie, chess, cycling, Gaelic football, golf, gymnastics, Gaelic handball, hurling, motorcycling, rowing, and swimming. [26]
At the awards ceremony in the Iveagh Gardens, the pageant The Coming of Fionn by Seamus MacCall was staged. [27]
The 1928 Games was won by John O'Hanlon a multiple Irish Champion.
Was held on the Lee in Cork. [28]
Took place in Blackrock baths [29]
The Motor Boat event of 1928 took place at Ballyglass, Co. Westmeath, home of the Lough Ree Yacht Club, and Motor Yacht Club of Ireland, on 16 August. Races took place in various classes:
Race 1. Yachts over 10 tons and under 40 tons. race of 24 miles. 'Mavourneen' F.S.J. Worrell
With the 1932 Summer Olympics begin held in Los Angeles, the Tailteann Games was originally scheduled for 1931 to avoid a clash, but postponed to 1932, which meant Olympic athletes from Ireland or abroad could not be present. The Games' main backer, minister J. J. Walsh, lost office when Fianna Fáil took power after the 1932 election, and public funding was cut. Against a background of the Great Depression and the Anglo-Irish Trade War, the Games cut from two weeks to one; they made a £12 profit.
The change of Irish Government left the Tailteann games without government support, and as a result there were very few competitions.
The cycling event was won by J.P. Woodcock. [30]
The third games was won again by John O'Hanlon who was also Irish Champion in 1932.
These events were held in the Mansion House in Dublin. [29]
Events were held in the Phoenix Park, Dublin., [29]
Held in Dublin Bay on 14 August 1928. Event 1. yachts over 10 tons and under 40 tons.
The sailing events were hosted by the National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire in July 1932. [31]
Event | Result |
---|---|
Cruisers under 10 tons [31] | Mercia III, W. J. Smalldridge (5h 22m 31s); Sho Shi, T.A. Cotter (5:31:15); Eileen, J.A. Magauran (5:39:35) (Winner); Alethea, J. Kelly. |
21-footers [31] | Maureen (winner) Newsom & Stephens; Geraldine, W McDowell; Oola, F.E. Bitmingham; Innisfallen, J.T. Wigham. |
17-footers [31] | Pauline, Dr. H.J. Wright; Zaida, Dr. H.H. Poole; Rita, Mr. A. O'Reilly; Mimosa, Mr. R.N. Guinness; Bobolink, Mr. A. McMullen; Leila, Mr. W. McBride; Hera, Mr. A.E. Nesbitt; Echo, Mr. R. Hall; Anita, Mr. J. Millar; Oona, Dr. D & Miss Douglas; Deilginis, Capt. O'B. Twohig; Rosemay, Messrs. Sterling & Thompson; Silver Moon (carried away her masthead before the preparatory gun). |
Water wags [31] | Pansy, Dr. J. H. Stephens; Phyllis, G.A. Newsom; Coquette, George Jones; Tomboy, Mr. &. Mrs. Donolly; Mollie, Dr & Mrs Henry; Blue Bird, Dr. G. Pugin; Amyl, Mr. & Mrs. Shackleton; Nesta, A.W. Bayne; Marie Louise, E.G. Peake; Cupid, S. S. Harman; Alfa, G.D. Findlater; Kittiwake, E.A. Brittain (fouled mark); Mary Kate, A.R. O'Connor (retired). |
In 1937 Éamon de Valera organised an inter-departmental committee into the feasibility of staging another games, which reported in June that it would be possible to stage one in 1939. De Valera used the split in Irish athletics governance as an excuse to defer consideration, to the chagrin of J. J. Walsh. The onset of the Second World War deferred any progress and nothing further happened after the war. [32]
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions.
Events from the year 1924 in Ireland.
The Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or Dublin GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin and the Dublin county teams. The teams and their fans are known as "The Dubs" or "Boys in Blue". The fans have a special affiliation with the Hill 16 end of Croke Park.
The history of the Gaelic Athletic Association is much shorter than the history of Gaelic games themselves. Hurling and caid were recorded in early Irish history and they pre-date recorded history. The Gaelic Athletic Association itself was founded in 1884.
The Tailteann Games, Tailtin Fair, Áenach Tailteann, Aonach Tailteann, Assembly of Talti, Fair of Taltiu or Festival of Taltii were funeral games associated with the semi-legendary history of Pre-Christian Ireland.
The National Athletic and Cycling Association (NACA or N.A. and C.A.), from 1990 the National Athletic and Cycling Association of Ireland (NACAI or NACA(I)) was a federation of sports clubs in the island of Ireland practising athletics or bicycle racing or both. It existed from 1922 to 2000, though for most of the period it was not the sole governing body in Ireland for either sport. Its refusal to recognise the partition of Ireland got it expelled from the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Clubs formerly in the NACAI are now affiliated to Athletics Ireland or Cycling Ireland, each formed by the merger of the NACAI with rival bodies respectively affiliated to the IAAF and the UCI.
An aonach or óenach was an ancient Irish public national assembly called upon the death of a king, queen, or notable sage or warrior as part of ancestor worship practices. As well as the entertainment, the óenach was an occasion on which kings and notables met under truce and where laws were pronounced and confirmed.
James Edward Heron was an Irish high diving and springboard diving champion. He won the British Diving Championship in 1932 and represented Ireland at the 1948 Olympic Games.
The Irish Chess Union, is the governing body for chess in Ireland since its formation in 1912. ICU is a member of FIDE since 1933 and the European Chess Union. The ICU promotes chess in Ireland and maintains the chess rating for players registered with the ICU, which are published monthly. It runs competitions such as the Irish Chess Championship and selects teams to participate in international competitions for Ireland.
The Twelve Foot Dinghy was designed by George Cockshott, an amateur boat designer from Southport, England in response to a 1912 design contest. It became the first one-design racing dinghy to achieve international recognition. The class was granted the 'International' status by the IYRU in 1919 and remained this status until 1964 when it was revoked by the same authority. The class was selected as the dinghy class for the Olympics in 1920 & 1928. In 1924 the French wanted to use an alternate French design.
The Ireland national hurling team is a representative team for the island of Ireland in the hybrid sport of composite rules shinty–hurling.
Máire ‘Mollie’ Gill (1891–1977) was a political activist who became third and longest-serving president of the Camogie Association and captained a Dublin team to an All Ireland championship while serving as president of the association.
The 2006 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship—known as the Gala All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship for sponsorship reasons—was the high point of the 2006 season in the sport of Camogie. The championship was won for the 22nd time by Cork who defeated Tipperary by an eight-point margin in the final despite having lost to them in the group stages. Rena Buckley was player of the match. The attendance was 20,685, at the time the second highest in camogie history.
The 1932 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship was the high point of the 1932 season in Camogie. The championship was won by Dublin, who defeated Galway by a nine-point margin in the final for a historic first success in a new championship. The match was played alongside a senior hurling challenge between Galway and Cork at Galway Sportsgrounds on July 30, 1933.
The 1956 Gael Linn Cup is a representative competition for elite level participants in the women's team field sport of camogie, was won by Leinster, who defeated Ulster in the final, played at Knockbridge.
Philip Baker was an Irish chess player. He won the Irish Chess Championship in 1924, 1927, 1928, and 1929.
Funeral games are athletic competitions held in honor of a recently deceased person. The celebration of funeral games was common to a number of ancient civilizations. Athletics and games such as wrestling are depicted on Sumerian statues dating from approximately 2600 BC, and funeral games are depicted in early Greek vases, such as the Francois vase at Florence and the Amphiaraus vase in Berlin. In some accounts, funeral games were not merely held to honor the deceased, but in order to propitiate the spirits of those who had died.
The men's coxed pair competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles took place are at Long Beach Marine Stadium on 13 August. Competition consisted of a single round. There were 4 boats from 4 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. The event was won by the United States, its first victory in the event. Coxswain Edward Jennings had also been on the bronze medal team in 1924, making him the fifth man with multiple medals in the coxed pair. The American rowers were Charles Kieffer and Joseph Schauers. Silver went to Poland, in its coxed pair debut. France earned bronze.
The men's eight competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles took place at the Long Beach Marine Stadium. It was held from 10 to 13 August. There were 8 boats from 8 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. The event was won by the United States, the nation's fourth consecutive and sixth overall victory; the Americans had won every time they competed. Silver went to Italy, that nation's second medal in the men's eight after a bronze in 1924. Canada repeated as bronze medalists, stretching their podium streak in the event to three Games.
Hilda RobertsHRHA was an Irish portrait artist.
{{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help){{cite news}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help)