Three local Olympic connections you might not have heard about

With the action getting underway in Tokyo, Tadhg Carey revisits three past local connections to the Summer Olympics Games that you may not have known about

1.

1924: Football

In June 1922 the Irish Olympic Council was accepted into membership of the International Olympic Committee. And two years later, an Irish football team became the first Olympians to compete for an independent Ireland when they opened their Olympic campaign in Paris with a 1-0 win against Bulgaria. A 2-1 extra-time defeat to Holland in the quarter final saw Ireland bow out.

Four Athlone Town players featured against Bulgaria, including Athlonians Denis Hannon and Tommy Muldoon, who later played with Aston Villa.

Sligo native John Joe Dykes and goalkeeper Paddy O’Reilly, from Dublin were the other two Athlone Town players to feature.

Athlone native Frank Ghent was included in the team with the other four in the quarter final against Holland and scored Ireland's only goal.

Denis Hannon's cap from the 1924 Olympics.
Frank Ghent, with his Ireland cap and jersey.

2.

1948: Basketball

The Irish men’s hockey team qualified for the 2016 Olympics. The last Irish team before that?

It was the basketball team which took part in the 1948 London Olympics. Among that Irish team was six who were based in Athlone’s Custume Barracks

In fact, of the 14-man squad chosen for the 1948 Olympics in London, twelve were army personnel

The panel was comprised of six Athlone-based Defence Force members, two players from Dublin-based civilian clubs and the remainder from the Army’s Eastern Command.

The Athlone players included brothers Paddy and Dermot Sheriff, Tommy Keenan, Bill Jackson, Frank O’Connor and Danny Reddin. A seventh team member Jimmy McGee was then based in Dublin but later relocated to Athlone, where he headed up the Army School of Music for many years.

Mexico handed down a 71-9 defeat in the opening game.

Ireland performed better against Iran, but still lost by 49-22. And they completed their group stage with defeats to Cuba (88-25) and eventual silver medallists France (73-14).

The bottom seven teams across the four groups then played off to decide 17th to 23rd places. Ireland went down to Great Britain by 46-21 before succumbing to Switzerland by 55-12.

Members of the Irish basketball team enjoy refreshments during the 1948 Olympic Games.
Members of the Athlone Custume Club, pictured in 1948, including the six Olympians. From left to right: Dermot Sheriff, Tom Keenan, P. Timoney, John O'Leary, Turlough O'Connor, F. McBennet, Paddy Sheriff, Dan Reddin, Bill Jackson and Frank O'Connor.

3.

1948/1952: Sailing

Dr Alfred Frederick Joseph Delany, a Longford native, was a member of Athlone’s Lough Ree Yacht Club for over 50 years.

Dr Delany was one of three yachtsmen to make history in the 1948 Olympics in London as Ireland made its debut in sailing events.

Competing in the Swallow Class, Dr Delany was helmsman of the The Cloud, along with crewman, Hugh Allen. Ireland had another representative, Jimmy Mooney, in the Firefly Class. Ireland finished thirteenth of the fourteen competitors.

Dr Delany also represented Ireland in the yachting events in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

This time, he completed in the single handed (Finn) class, finishing 21st of 28 nations.

Dr Delany spent most of his working life based in Clontarf, but even in 2004, at the age of 93, he spent a week in Athlone, competing in the Lough Ree Regatta. He died in 2006.