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, the Union of South Africa and Australia as well as Ireland.History of Croke Park – Hogan Stand 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.Cronin 2005, p.64

Games

1924 1928 1932 1937 Inaugural games Second games Third and final games held Revival considered but not held

Origins

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".Dean 2014 p.91 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 the Irish language. The first Games were scheduled to be held from 6 to 13 August 1922. In order to join the teams representing Ireland, individuals were required to have two Irish grandparents (one parternal and one maternal).

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." 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. A few days later it was reported the government invested 10,000 pounds sterling in the Games and 30.000 visitors were expected.

However, due to the Anglo-Irish War and the Irish Civil War the Games were not held until 1924.The Tailteann Games – An Olympic Event for the "Celtic Race" , by Bernd Biege, About.com The meeting was launched to celebrate the independence of Ireland. The Hogan Stand was built and opened for the 1924 games.

Symbols

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").

1924

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.

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

The dissident Irish republican movement which had lost the Irish Civil War urged a boycott of the games "falsely described as Aonach Tailteann", because it rejected the legitimacy of the Irish Free State government which sponsored the games. Rugby union was excluded from the program because the Irish Rugby Football Union was seen as "undemocratic and almost un-Irish".Rouse 2015 p.269

Nations (host) Events

Billiards

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

Chess

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.When Irelands Tailteann Games eclipsed the Olympics by Paul Rouse, Irish Examiner, 18 November 2016. Dublin Chess Club provided its premises in Regent House, Trinity College Dublin as well as equipment for use for the Competitions.'A History of Dublin Chess Club' by A. A. Luce, 1967.

Golf (men and women)

The women's golf event was held at Portmarnock.Irish Newspaper archive July 1924 The Men's golf event may have been held at Dollymount.

Hurling

In hurling, teams from England, Wales, the United States, Scotland, and Ireland played.

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, while an association "Ireland" team played in London.

Handball

The handball events were played in Ballymun and Clondalkin.Irish Newspaper archive 1924

Motor Cycling

Races took place in Phoenix Park, Dublin.Irish Newspaper Archive, July 1924

Music

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.

Rowing

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

Results

Single sculls Four Walter Pfeiffer Eight Walter Pfeiffer

Aquatics

Entrants

American Johnny Weissmuller and Australian Andrew "Boy" Charleton took part. The United States entered one woman, Euphrasia Donnelly.

Swimming

As Ireland had no proper swimming pools at the time, the swimming competitions of the 1924 Games were held in a pond at Dublin Zoo.

Men's event

100 m freestyle 800 m freestyle

Women's event

200 m freestyle

Diving

Women's event

Dive

Athletics

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.

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

Summary

100 metres 200 metres 400 metres 800 metres 1500 metres 4 miles 110 metres hurdles 400 metres hurdles 3000 metres steeplechase 4 x 1600 metres relay Marathon Individual cross country Team cross country Long jump Triple jump High jump Pole vault Standing long jump Standing triple jump Standing high jump Shot put Discus throw Hammer throw Javelin throw 56 lbs weight throw over bar 56 lbs weight throw without follow Decathlon

Cross-country

The cross country race was over 3800 meters and was open open to teams or individuals.

Individual

Rank Athlete Nation Time John Ryan Marvin Rick Russell Payne 4 5 6 7 John G. Bell 8 9 10

Team

Rank Nation Time

Sailing

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

Yachts over 10 tonsIrish Times 11 August 1924 'Mavourneen', Mr. F. St. J. Worrall. 25 ft & 21 ft 'Geraldine', Mr. W. McDowell. 'Darthula' Mr. W. Graham 'Innisfallen' Messrs. Nesbitt & Weir. Yachts up to 10 tons 'Klysma', Mr. C. O'Loughlin 'Bonita' Messrs. Hartnell & McGoogan 'Mercia III' Mr.W.J. Smalldridge 17 ft 'Echo', Mr. R. Hall Bobolink Silver Moon Seapoint [Sailing Club] Class No. 2 & Clontarf [Yacht & Boat Club] class and similar classes 'Falcon', Messrs. Hutchinson and Paine Shannon-One-Design S47 Edgar H. Waller S32 N. Lionel Lyster S35 A.G. Waller Water Wags 'Coquette', Mr. George H. Jones Mollie, A.E. Snow Tomboy, Messrs Barrett & Donnelly Shannon-one-design (full results) 4 S36 R. White; 5 S34 Walter Levinge; 6 S45 Tom Feely; 7 S43 Jocelyn H. de W. Waller

Motor Boating

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.

Tennis

An international tennis tournament was organised between Ireland and Australia.

Irish Cecil Campbell beat Australian James Willard.

The singles competitions were won by Australia with the doubles competitions by Ireland. Ireland won the overall tournament.

Water polo

Ireland won the water polo tournament.

Cultural programme

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.

An art and craft exhibition at the Royal Hibernian Academy displayed 1,597 works, more than half entered for competition in 32 categories.Cronin 2005, pp.64–65 The overall "Tailteann Trophy" went to Seán Keating's Homage to Hugh Lane.Cronin 2005, p.65 Other gold medallists included Margaret Clarke, Francis Doyle Jones, Letitia Hamilton, Power O'Malley, and Patrick Tuohy.

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. The last was not successful: "there seemed to be a greater number of people in the orchestra than in the audience".Joseph O'Neill: "Music in Dublin", in: Music in Ireland. A Symposium, ed. by Aloys Fleischmann (Cork: Cork University Press, 1952), p. 255.

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

1928

In 1928, at the awards ceremony in the Iveagh Gardens, the pageant The Coming of Fionn by Seamus MacCall was staged.Dean 2014 p.95 At least seven nations participated at the 1928 Games. New Zealand announced in December 1927 to take part in the Games. Events athletics billiards boxing camogie chess cycling Gaelic football golf gymnastics Gaelic handball hurling motorcycling rowing swimming Nations (host)

Athletics

The athletics competitions took place from 15 August to 18 August 1928.

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