Tailteann Games (Irish Free State)

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]

1. 1924 Tailteann Games
2. 1928 Tailteann Games
3. 1932 Tailteann Games
4. 1937 Tailteann Games was cancelled.

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] Initially (as of April 1922) the plan was to be a national event with an expectation of nine counties to participate. It would also include an opera performance in Irish language. The first Games were scheduled to be held from 6 to 13 August 1922.^[4]

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.

In July 1922 there was a main fire in the O'Connell Street, a main street in Dublin burning down 25 of its main buildings and main hotels; also to be used for the Games.^[6] A few days later is was reported the government invested 10000 pound in the Games and 30.000 visitors were expected.^[7]

However, due to the Anglo-Irish War and Civil War the Games were not held until 1924.^[8] The meeting was launched to celebrate the independence of Ireland. The Hogan Stand was built and opened for the 1924 games.^[1]

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").^[9]

The 1924 Tailteann Games were held in Dublin, Ireland in August 1924 after the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

To increase the quality of the competition, some Olympic stars without Irish heritage were invited to compete as guests.^[10]

The games opened with the "Tailteann choir" singing the "Tailteann ode", with words by Oliver St. John Gogarty and music by Louis O'Brien.^[11] 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.^[12]

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.^[13] Rugby union was excluded from the program because the Irish Rugby Football Union was seen as "undemocratic and almost un-Irish".^[14]

At least five nations participated at the Games.

Billiards events were held in the Catholic Club in O'Connell Street.

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.^[15] Dublin Chess Club provided its premises in Regent House, Trinity College Dublin as well as equipment for use for the Competitions.^[16]

The women's golf event was held at Portmarnock.^[17] The Men's golf event may have been held at Dollymount.

In hurling, teams from England, Wales, the United States, Scotland, and Ireland played.^[18]

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,^[19] while an association "Ireland" team played in London.

The handball events were played in Ballymun and Clondalkin.^[20]

Races took place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.^[21]

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.^[21]

The rowing events were held at the centre of rowing in Ireland, namely, Islandbridge on the River Liffey.^[21]

American Johnny Weissmuller and Australian Andrew "Boy" Charleton took part.^[10] The United States entered one women, Euphrasia Donnelly.^[23]

Swimming events were held in the pond at Dublin Zoo.^[10]

The athletics competitions were held in Croke Park, Dublin.

One of the main achievements was American Robert LeGendre winning the long jump event. His jump of 7.518 metres was close to the world record he set during the 1924 Summer Olympics of 7.795 metres in the pentathlon (he didn’t qualify for the long jump event); a distance he had not approached since then.^[24]

The American Harold Osborn, the 1924 Olympic high jump champion, won the high jump event.

The cross country race was over 3800 meters and was open open to teams or individuals.^[23]

^[23]

^[23]

The Sailing events of 1924 were sailed in Dún Laoghaire on Saturday in the second week of August.

Shannon-one-design (full results) 4 S36 R. White ; 5 S34 Walter Levinge ; 6 S45 Tom Feely ; 7 S43 Jocelyn H. de W. Waller ^[26]

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.

An international tennis tournament was organized between Ireland and Australia.^[22]

Irish Cecil Campbell beated Australian James Willard.^[22]

The singles competitions were won by Australia with the doubles competitions by Ireland. Ireland won the overall tournament.^[22]

Ireland won the water polo tournament.^[22]

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.^[27]

An art and craft exhibition at the Royal Hibernian Academy displayed 1,597 works, more than half entered for competition in 32 categories.^[28] The overall "Tailteann Trophy" went to Seán Keating's Homage to Hugh Lane.^[29] Other gold medallists included Margaret Clarke, Francis Doyle Jones, Letitia Hamilton, Power O'Malley, and Patrick Tuohy.^[29]

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.^[11] The last was not successful: "there seemed to be a greater number of people in the orchestra than in the audience".^[30]

In the genre painting competition, Charles Lamb won a silver medal for Dancing at a Northern Crossroads, depicting a traditional crossroads dance.^[31]

The programme for the 1928 games included athletics, billiards, boxing, camogie, chess, cycling, Gaelic football, golf, gymnastics, Gaelic handball, hurling, motorcycling, rowing, and swimming.^[32]

At the awards ceremony in the Iveagh Gardens, the pageant The Coming of Fionn by Seamus MacCall was staged.^[33]

At least seven nations participated at the 1928 Games.

New Zealand announced in December 1927 to take part in the Games.^[34]

The athletics competitions took place from 15 August to 18 August 1928.^[35]

In Dublin an international athletics meeting was organized with many medalists who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics.^[36] The meeting only included events for men. However, for women a main international meeting was organized after the Tailteann Games in London.^[37]

In January 1928 it was reported that the American athletics association only allowed American athletes of Irish descent to go to Dublin for the Games.^[35]

* Bal ran the 220 yards in 21.8 seconds.^[36]

The 1928 Games was won by John O'Hanlon a multiple Irish Champion.

Was held on the Lee in Cork.^[40]

Took place in Blackrock baths^[41]

The Barnacullia tug of war team (mostly composed of stonecutters) beat the Guinness tug of war team.^{[42]: 11:46}

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. Free for all sweepstakes. 1st. 'Fiend' J.W. Shillan. 2nd. 'Irish Express' Major H. Waller. 3rd. 'Miss Chief' J. C. Healy.
• Race 2. Handicap for boats with outboard engines not exceeding 350cc. Boat min. weight 120 lbs. 1st. 'Miss Chief' J.C. Healy. 2nd. 'Busy Bee' Lt. Col. Mansfield. 3rd. 'Imp' D. Tidmarsh.
• Race 3. Handicap for boats with inboard engines exceeding 20'-0". 1st. 'Shrike' Lt. Col. Mansfield. 2nd.'La Vague' Dr. V. S. Delany. 3rd. 'Janet' J. C. Healy.
• Race 4. Handicap for boats with outboard engines of unlimited cc. Boat min. weight 140 lbs. 1st. 'Baby Costume' L. Hogan. 2nd.'Fiend' J. W. Shillan. 3rd. 'Busy Bee' Lt. Col. Mansfield.
• Race 5. Free for all scratch race. Outboard engines. 1st. 'Fiend' J. W. Shillan. 2nd. 'Miss Chief' J. C. Healy. 3rd. 'Busy Bee' Lt. Col. Mansfield.
• Race 6. Handicap race for boats with inboard engines, length not exceeding 20 ft. 1st. 'Udra' Dr. V.S. Delany. 2nd. 'Mermaid' Mr. J. Ryan.

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 John Woodcock.^[43]

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.^[41]

Events were held in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.,^[41]

The Regatta was held in Drogheda on 29th and 30th June.

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.^[44]

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.^[45]

• Bell, Daniel (17 November 2011). "Tailteann Games". Encyclopedia of International Games. Vol. 2. McFarland. pp. 373–375. ISBN 9781476615271. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
• Cronin, Mike (July 2003). "Projecting the Nation through Sport and Culture: Ireland, Aonach Tailteann and the Irish Free State, 1924–32". Journal of Contemporary History. 38 (3): 395–411. doi:10.1177/0022009403038003004. ISSN 0022-0094. JSTOR 3180644. S2CID 146215048 – via academia.edu.
• Cronin, Mike (Autumn 2005). "The State on Display: The 1924 Tailteann Art Competition". New Hibernia Review / Iris Éireannach Nua. 9 (3). University of St. Thomas (Center for Irish Studies): 50–71. doi:10.1353/nhr.2005.0050. JSTOR 20558012. S2CID 143540213.
• Dean, Joan Fitzpatrick (2014). All Dressed Up: Modern Irish Historical Pageantry. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815652847. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
• Reynolds, Paige (2007). "Fictions in the Free State: the 1924 Tailteann Games". Modernism, Drama, and the Audience for Irish Spectacle. Cambridge University Press. pp. 156–198. ISBN 9780521872997. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
• Rouse, Paul (2015). "Sport on a Partitioned Island 1920 to the New Millennium". Sport and Ireland: A History. Oxford University Press. pp. 243–328. ISBN 9780198745907. Retrieved 1 August 2017.

• Tailteann Games index of Pathé newsreel clips
• Tailteann Games, digitised photographs from the Irish Independent at the National Library of Ireland
• 1924 Newspaper image