Included in a special edition series, dubbed ‘The Untold Olympic Tales of Ireland’, unfolding every Saturday until the anticipated Olympic Games inaugural ceremony on Friday, 26th July 2024, is this fascinating narration.
A significant milestone, the centenary of the revitalised Tailteann Games, is due to be commemorated within the next couple of months. These games were the first significant international happening in the newly formed Free State.
James Joseph Walsh, erstwhile chair of the Cork GAA county board, an active participant in the 1916 GPO, and eventually a representative of Sinn Féin, significantly influenced these proceedings. Walsh was known for his relentless determination, his exceptional organising skills, and unwavering separatist beliefs. He saw the GAA as custodians of national games, and a wellspring of martial men in the path towards independence.
Being reservedly supportive of the Treaty (viewing it as a less harmful choice), Walsh ended up being appointed as the postmaster general, and subsequently minister for posts and telegraphs, within the initial Cumann na nGaedheal government. His initiatives ranged from repainting all the red Royal Mail postboxes green to setting up 2RN, a radio service that later became RTÉ. The GAA’s influence was undeniable when, a live broadcast of an All-Ireland hurling semi-final between Galway and Kilkenny in 1926, marked Europe’s first live field sports broadcast.
Later, Walsh was assigned the position of director for the Tailteann Games, or Aonach Tailteann in Irish.
Michael Davitt, a proponent of land reform and a GAA patron since the 1880s, conceived this concept, calling it “a national festival encompassing athletics, music, and poetry that would involve the Celtic Race worldwide.” Drawing inspiration from the ancient Tailteann Games, conducted in Tara from 632 BC until the last documented reference in 1168, the rebooted version was heavily influenced by the modern Olympics, which played a significant part in the first revival a century ago.
Before the political division, Éamon de Valera’s cabinet was firmly behind a revival. However, post-division, the anti-Treaty Sinn Féin, led by de Valera, objected, leading his rivals to back the idea when they came to power.
Due to the Civil War, the Tailteann Games scheduled for 1922 were postponed by two years. Originally, the GAA was assigned £10,000 in 1922 to upgrade Croke Park, which was the chosen venue for the knit and split ceremonies in addition to the sports competitions.
After the delay, the Dáil questioned the allocation of the funds. Walsh found himself trying to explain the grant, which was already spent, as well as covering a deficit of £4,000 provided by the GAA. He further emphasized that the grant was not a loan as presented by WT Cosgrave, the head of government and finance minister.
On 16th November 1922, Walsh addressed the Dáil, clarifying the need for a decent stadium for the Tailteann Games and the financial difficulties the GAA had been facing. He also contradicted the president’s assertion that the association would have to repay the sum.
In 1924, the State would make its debut representation at the Olympic Games in Paris. At this point, the GAA would have sanctioned a fresh Irish Athletics body, operated by an independent body and including track and field sports, a departure from the GAA’s traditional range.
The Tailteann Games were initially envisioned as an event for individuals of Irish descent, but the organizers, cognizant of its potential commercial value, and with the Olympics being conducted in Paris in the same month, decided to extend invitations to some of the Olympic participants before they returned from France, irrespective of their nationality.
Johnny Weissmuller, famous for winning three golds in swimming events, is one of the most renowned Olympians who visited Dublin. He participated in a competition in the Phoenix Park pond, even bagging a victory before he went on to establish his fame in Hollywood, playing the character Tarzan.
Despite the 1924 Olympics being recognised widely due to the film ‘Chariots of Fire’, none of the protagonists in the movie participated in the Dublin games. However, Harold Osborn, an American athlete who won double gold in high jump and decathlon, graced the games.
Against Osborn, Larry Stanley, the first athlete to represent Ireland at the Olympics, performed remarkably in the high jump. Not just an impressive high jumper, Stanley had also been a fantastic football player, leading Kildare to the 1919 All-Ireland victory. He attributed his success to his phenomenal jumping ability and ball control skills.
Another noteworthy contestant was Seán Lavan from Mayo, who is highly praised for innovating the solo run. Competing in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, he secured the second place in the 400 metres hurdles in the inaugural Tailteann Games.
Osborn was dubbed the most competent athlete of the games but due to a high jump injury, he couldn’t take part in the decathlon. This led his immediate rivals, Daniel Kinsey – US gold medallist in the 110m hurdles in Paris – and Ireland’s Bill Shanahan, to consider withdrawing from the event and declare him as the winner.
At a gathering, announced via loudspeaker, Osborn shared heartfelt thanks. “I now truly comprehend the warmth of an authentic Irish reception. I anticipate re-engaging with the charming sports fans of Ireland in the summer. Until then, goodbye.”
Despite around 6,500 participants partaking in a range of disciplines, including non-elite events, certain games such as football, rugby or hockey — the so-called “foreign games” prohibited by the GAA — were excluded. At the period, there was a rift in the association regarding this issue, but Walsh, a staunch advocate of the ban, exerted enough influence to ensure these games were barred.
Nevertheless, he did not champion a restriction put forward in the Dáil by Labour TD and future Ceann Comhairle Patrick Hogan in June 1924. Hogan contended that prerequisite knowledge of the Irish language should be mandated for game participants, to embody and uphold the spirit of those who originally played the games.
Historian Paul Rouse has extensively researched the Tailteann Games, commenting on the challenge of maintaining their initial triumph. The Games in 1924 were a nationwide victory, drawing significant and positive attention to Ireland and inviting comparisons to the large-scale ‘Gathering’ of the 1920s, an event that aimed to connect the Irish diaspora to their homeland.
However, Rouse noted, this widespread success was not replicated in either 1928 or 1932, despite the Olympics taking place in nearby Amsterdam and distant Los Angeles, respectively. Upon De Valera’s election in 1932, he showed scant interest in the games, associating them too closely with the political party Cumann na nGaedheal. To phase out the games, De Valera established an interdepartmental committee, which eventually suggested their discontinuation.
Rouse also brought attention to the exhausting nature of conducting such a major event every four years, particularly when compared to the Olympics which took 100 years to return to Paris. The Olympics of 1924, 1928, and 1932 all were held in different locations, making the commitment of Ireland to host the Tailteann Games every four years a formidable task.
Walsh eventually grew disillusioned with Cumann na nGaedheal and instead lent his support to De Valera’s nascent Fianna Fáil party in 1932. However, he found himself displeased with how his Tailteann project panned out, lamenting in his 1944 memoir, Recollections of a Rebel, that it was “a grave and unfortunate error”.
Subsequently, he emerged as a prosperous entrepreneur and industrial powerhouse, assuming chairmanship of Clondalkin Paper Mills and immersing himself heavily in Solus, the Bray-based light bulb manufacturing company, along with other ventures. He was also chosen as the chair of the Federation of Saorstát Industries.
His most remarkable contribution to public service will celebrate its centennial anniversary on the 2nd of August.