The daybreak of that July day in London was sunny and oppressively hot. An enormous crowd meandered through Shepherd’s Bush, heading towards White City to witness the 1908 Olympics. Most men utilised umbrellas over their hats to find cover and alleviation from the stifling temperature, unconcerned about trends, others protected their faces with bandanas.
In the infield’s corner, a boxing ring had been converted to facilitate the freestyle wrestling tournament with the ropes removed and additional mats layered on the canvas. After gruelling hours of combat, two contesters donned the mat for the first semi-final match in the heavyweight category.
Both contenders were British, leading hefting dual roles as athletes and patrolmen in English streets, but their foreign accents hinted at their unique life stories. Ned Barrett from Rahela, close to Listowel in Co Kerry, was one of the contestants.
Hailing from a progeny of 12, upon moving to London six years earlier, he initially worked as a wireman in Regent Street before enrolling for the City of London Police in 1905. Standing over 6ft tall and weighing just above 15 stone, the 31-year-old was an all-rounder sportsman. The Daily Telegraph praised him as “that multi-talented strong man, known for his hammer-throwing and shot-putting skills”.
One wrestling mat lay stretched out before George Cornelius “Con” O’Kelly, a man who hailed from Gloun, a small area near Dunmanway in west Cork. Here, he had spent his early years involved in a variety of sports from wrestling and cycling to boxing. Despite growing up less than 80 miles apart from his opponent, O’Kelly’s journey to that wrestling mat had taken him through Hull’s west end during his mid-teens. Back then, this northeastern corner of England was home to many Irish immigrants. On September 18th, 1902, when he joined the local police force, his formidable 6ft 3in, 16 stone stature was evident and he swiftly became attached to the fire brigade. A chance invitation from a colleague to a wrestling club changed his life’s course.
Quickly, O’Kelly established his name within Hull’s Amateur Wrestling Club, surprising everyone by defeating the Northern Counties champion in less than three minutes. In no time, he conquered the title of British amateur heavyweight championship, only to be superseded by Barrett ahead of the 1908 Summer Olympics. The competition between them revitalised the traditional Cork-Kerry rivalry in wrestling, a sport fondly known as “catch as catch can”. Meeting again in a sweltering London later that year called for more than just vying for a spot in the Olympic final. O’Kelly, 22, was determined to demonstrate his superior strength over his elder adversary, fully aware that Barrett’s track record was rather intimidating.
An old photograph showcases Barrett as part of the victorious London Emmets’ team who triumphed over Cork’s Redmond’s team in the 1901 All-Ireland hurling final. Exhibiting a shrewd performance as a forward during this match held at Maurice Davin’s field in Carrick-on-Suir, 1903, Barrett entered the Olympics five years later assigned to participate not only in wrestling, but also in shot putt, discus, and javelin. He was also an integral part of the City of London Police’s esteemed tug-of-war team—heavily tipped for gold. This summer in Paris, imagine the buzz if someone expected to win numerous medals in such a wide array of sports were to arrive!
O’Kelly’s accomplishment of reaching White City was quite notable in itself. He was amongst the four firefighters significantly wounded when a hefty wall at Soulsby’s Saw Mill collapsed during an intense fire on the early hours of March 4. Following being extracted from a two-storey pile of bricks, they were hastily transported to hospital. O’Kelly being the most severely impaired, the injuries to his back and shoulders put his Olympic participation at peril, confining him from the fire brigade duty for a month.
In the wrestling contest, O’Kelly quickly demonstrated his superiority over his fellow Irish competitor. He managed to raise Barrett off the ground and catching him in a arm and crotch hold, securing victory in just two minutes and 14 seconds, thereby progressing into the Olympic final. Barrett redeemed himself by winning against Edward Nixson, the English contestant, in the bronze medal match. Despite an early exit in the Greco-Roman wrestling event, he contributed to the City of London’s tug-of-war team’s gold medal victory.
According to Jim Shanahan’s entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography, Barrett’s initial throw in the shot-putt competition was a personal record of 12.89m, securing him the fifth place. However, an injury due to another competitor’s mishap forced him to withdraw prior to the second round. Additionally, he took part in the freestyle discus and javelin competitions. In the year 1911, Barrett regained the British heavyweight freestyle wrestling crown, and he entered various events during the 1912 Olympics, including discus, shot-putt, tug-of-war, and the Greco-Roman wrestling, but didn’t compete for an unknown reason.
Barrett was not just known for his sporting achievements, he was engaged and celebrated in many spheres of life. In addition to receiving recognition for his bravery in halting a runaway horse in 1909, Barrett also served as a trainer for the City of London Police Athletics Club. He was a standout in the sporting exhibitions which were part of the Festival of Empire at the Crystal Palace in 1911. Leaving the force after three years, he ventured into professional wrestling, opened his gym and played a role in the Hibernian Social and Athletic Club in Chalk Hill. He married Julie McCarthy, a widow with two children, and they had a son named Edmond. After his death in 1932, he was laid to rest in Finchley Cemetery. He remains the sole individual to own both an All-Ireland medal and an Olympic gold.
O’Kelly, Barrett’s primary competition, was only overshadowed in the heavyweight division by Norway’s champion, Jacob Gunderson. Winning his first fight against Gunderson took him over 13 minutes, but he managed to secure the second in just a quarter of that time. This triumph made O’Kelly the first person from Cork to achieve an Olympic gold medal.
Upon his return to Hull, he received an enthusiastic welcome, parading through the city on a chemical fire engine while displaying a white skull cap adorned with the Union Jack. He still held onto the green oakleaf badge that Queen Alexandra had given him during the medal ceremony in London. Though his achievement was celebrated, local officials refused to grant him time off to explore professional wrestling opportunities. As such, he quit his job in February 1909 to do it himself.
Like many before him, O’Kelly found the transition from amateur sports to paid ranks challenging. Impressively, his professional debut was for the world heavyweight championship. Despite a loss, he managed to survive financially by also performing cabaret in theatres.
He eventually relocated to Boston, purportedly to engage in wrestling, but found himself dedicating more of his time to boxing. Named “The Harp” by American journalists, he recorded nine victories out of twelve boxing matches, enabling him to return to England substantially wealthier as a result of his experiences. Once he decided to hang up his gloves in 1914, he ventured into other businesses such as owning a pub, operating a crockery store, and experimenting in the local real estate industry. Furthermore, he played a significant role in the remarkable career path of his son, Con Jr., who represented Britain in the 1924 Olympics, competed professionally in Madison Square Garden and eventually took ordainment as a Catholic Priest.
During the 1930s, there was a period when O’Kelly Sr. went back to Ireland to oversee a poultry farm at Elm Park near Macroom. Even though his death in 1947 took place when he residing in Stockport, he and his family are all laid to rest at St Joseph’s Cemetery in Ballyphehane, situated on the southern portion of Cork city. Back in his heyday, when he mentored budding boxers in a custom-made gym at the backyard of his house on Freehold Street in Hull, O’Kelly would often reiterate a straightforward guiding principle. “Train hard and learn, lads—it’s nourishing for your spirit. Utilise your vitality and develop into a man!” His motto mirrored the lifestyle he and Barrett epitomised.