When Ali Came to Ireland is a 2013 Irish documentary film directed by Ross Whitaker. It tells the story of how Killorglin-born circus strongman and publican Michael "Butty" Sugrue put up £300,000 and persuaded the renowned American boxing champion Muhammad Ali to make his first visit to Ireland to fight against Alvin Lewis in Croke Park, Dublin in 1972.New year's treat as Ali's Dublin date relived on the box Irish Examiner, 2012-12-17.
Ali went to Ireland with an entourage on 11 July 1972 to spend time training for the fight on the 19th. While there, he was interviewed at length for RTÉ Television by Cathal O'Shannon, and was taught the rudiments of hurling (an Irish stick-and-ball field sport) by the champion hurler, Eddie Keher.End of the long road to get Ali's visit on film Irish Times, 2012-12-31. He visited Leinster House, seat of the Irish parliament, where he was mobbed by politicians and parliamentary staff, alike, and he signed many autographs. The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Jack Lynch conversed with him for half an hour. Lynch was surprised to learn that he was the first Western head of government to invite Ali for an official visit to parliament. The taoiseach later attended the fight itself.
Ali revealed to the media that, apart from winning the fight, his main ambition in Ireland was to meet the Northern Irish member of parliament, Bernadette Devlin, whom he admired. He wanted to talk about her politics, philosophy, and aims in public life. Devlin visited Ali's camp for a few hours on the day of the fight and had lunch with him. That evening, she also attended the fight.
Ali won the Lewis fight, attended by a little over 18,000 people, with a technical knockout in the 11th round, and Butty Sugrue lost a lot of money bankrolling it. The documentary was first broadcast on RTÉ One on New Year's Day, 2013.New documentary focuses on "When Ali Came to Ireland" Irish Central, 2012-12-18.When Ali Came to Ireland RTÉ Press Centre, 2012-12-20.Glove story: the day the lord of the ring bewitched Ireland Irish Independent, 2013-01-05.
Ali returned to Ireland twice in later years. He took part in the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in Dublin in 2003,Legend of Ali-Lewis fight in Dublin grows with each year ESPN, 2008-07-18."Muhammad Ali to attend Olympics", Sunday Mirror, 2003-06-15. and visited the Irish birthplace of his great-grandfather, Abe Grady, in Ennis, County Clare in 2009. Grady had sailed from Ennis to Louisiana in the United States during the 1860s, ultimately settling in Kentucky where he married an emancipated slave woman of unknown name. The couple had a son in about 1887. When Ali visited Ennis in 2009 he was greeted by 10,000 people and was made an honorary freeman of the town.Ennis honours Muhammad Ali RTÉ News, 2009-09-02.
Cast
Muhammad Ali Butty Sugrue Alvin Lewis Cathal O'Shannon Jimmy Magee Rock Brynner Eddie Keher Dave Hannigan George Kimball
Awards
The documentary won the Best Sports Programme award at the 10th Irish Film & Television Awards in 2013.
See also List of boxing films Muhammad Ali vs. Al Lewis, fight report
References
External links When Ali came to Ireland - Trailer at YouTube Ali meets hurler Eddie Keher Documentary excerpt at YouTube Official website
Photographs of the Ali–Lewis fight