Memories of Helsinki

Helsinki, 1952

The Olympic Games of 1952 in Helsinki was the highest point in the stratospheric career of Czech athlete Emil Zátopek. As alluded to in an earlier blog (https://sportyman2020.blogspot.com/2020/03/emil-and-dana-olympian-love-affair.html), Zátopek won gold in the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon, a unique achievement that is unlikely to ever be matched. And in the middle of all that, his wife Dana won gold in the javelin competition. The Cold War was in its infancy and Zátopek and all athletes from Communist countries were segregated from non-Communist countries, for reasons such as potential espionage, cultural influencing and defection risk. But as I’ve been reading through Richard Askwith’s thrilling biography of Zátopek in recent days, my unconscious mind has been nudging me towards Helsinki for other reasons. And today I realized just why.

Emil Zátopek winning the 1952 Olympic marathon, his third gold medal of the games

Helsinki, 1983

Thirty one years after the Zátopek Olympics, Helsinki Olympic Stadium hosted the first Athletics World Championships in 1983, producing the most memorable race of my childhood and the first race I remember watching live on television. I was aged 9 going on 10 and in the middle of my first fling with running, as a barefoot cross-country runner with our local (since disbanded) club, St. Lua’s. 

At the time, Ireland had a number of world class middle and long distance runners. But Eamonn Coghlan was above and beyond all others. His very name was a byword for speediness, athleticism and success. Known as ‘The Chairman of the Boards’ in the United States because of his multiple indoors successes at mile and 1,500m distances hammered out on wooden tracks all over that country, Coghlan had a confidence and charisma that was very un-Irish for that time. He had based himself in the United States for the prime years of his career so he had developed an unapologetic ambition that might have been viewed in Ireland as arrogance.

And Coghlan had had his difficulties too. Due to self-confessed tactical errors, he had finished 4^th in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics, at 1,500m and 5,000m respectively. And 1983 had been an especially tough year for him personally, with his father dying suddenly while visiting him at his U.S. home. Added to that, his two key coaching influences, Jumbo Elliott and Jerry Farnan, had died within the previous year.  

1983 was a strange time, with the world still firmly in the grip of the Cold War. The vast bogeyman of the USSR loomed to the east as a constant threat to the whole world, even to neutral little Ireland. And the threat of a nuclear winter caused by all-out war between the superpowers never seemed far off.

So when Eamonn Coghlan stepped up to and demolished the USSR athlete Dmitriy Dmitriyez in the 5,000m final to win gold in Helsinki for little old Ireland, I got a sudden surging hope that maybe these Soviets weren’t as grimly unbeatable as we all feared. And not only had he won, but the tanned and handsome Coghlan, looking more like a Hollywood film star than an Irish runner, had beaten the bespectacled Bond-villain Russian with style and very un-Irish levels of confidence. Although I didn't know anything about him at the time, long since retired hero Emil Zátopek was present at the games as a special guest. 

Trawling through the internet today for videos of the race, I could only find the British televised version and the bland BBC bleating of the commentator made me realize that it was Tony O’Donoghue’s Irish commentary that had really made the race so special as a television spectacle. But eventually I found a 1 minute clip of O’Donoghue’s commentary (sound but no picture) and listening back to it made my eyes glisten a little. Here is a link to the commentary for that last minute and lap of the race:

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2013/0814/468054-eamonn-coghlan-wins-gold/

In summary, Dmitriyev surges into a 10 metre lead at the bell, looking unstoppable, with Coghlan barely hanging on in second. But then Coghlan effortlessly and even joyfully reels in the Russian over the next 250 metres, cranking up the speed as the Russian visibly wilts. On the far bend with 150 metres to go, Coghlan looks at Dmitriyev, smiles and raises his clenched fists victoriously, even though he hasn’t even as yet overtaken him. And at the last bend, with 100 metres left, he surges away and leaves Dmitriyev and everyone else for dead.

But my words here pale in comparison to the raw and passionate commentary of Tony O’Donoghue, words that in my opinion put even George Hamilton’s 1990 ‘a nation holds its breath’ football commentary into the ha’penny place. So along with the audio link above, I have transcribed O’Donoghue’s commentary below. The commentary starts off relatively calm and measured, but becomes increasingly fevered towards the end, and I have used capital letters to indicate when he is actually shouting.

Enjoy!

‘There is one lap to go and it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain cool and objective about the outcome of this race.

Dimitryev has a lead of 4 metres from Coghlan.  

Coghlan is chasing him.

Wessinghage doesn’t seem to have it, so Coghlan is chasing Dmitriyev and it looks as though the race is between these two.

Coghlan looks extremely comfortable.

Dmitriyev has done everything over the last 800 metres.

Coghlan is coming up on his shoulder.

He looks behind him.

He checks for Wessinghage, the man he fears most.

He is on the shoulder of Dmitriyev in this fine position, as Martti Vainio launches a counter assault.

But (it’s) Coghlan and Dmitriyev and the race is between the two.

Dmitriyev is holding the lead.

Coghlan is waiting. Coghlan signals. He’s going to go. He looks at him.

He is SUPREMELY confident.

Eamonn Coghlan is going to do what he has been threatening to do all his life.

He is going to WIN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

And with total contempt he runs away from the entire field, and Coghlan is the WORLD CHAMPION.

A SUPERB confident run by a great athlete’.

Football, life and death

'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'

Bill Shankly, Manager of Liverpool FC (1959-1974)

 Bill Shankly

COVID-19: what would Bill Shankly do (and say?)

As we head into a pandemic induced sport-less weekend, we can draw some comfort and get some direction from what our current sporting heroes are saying, and we can speculate on what sporting heroes of the past might say if they were still with us.

Among the many quotes attributed to Bill Shankly, the above one relating to life and death is perhaps the most widely quoted and misquoted, and never more relevant than at a time like right now. Of course Bill Shankly had a wonderful sense of humour and his comment was made firmly tongue in cheek. And when he made that comment, Shankly could never have foreseen Heysel or Hillsborough - such tragedies would surely have broken his heart. Nor could he have guessed that a deadly virus would one day spread throughout the world and bring English football to a halt, right at the business end of a season when the title was within the grasp of his beloved Liverpool.

We can only guess at Shankly’s reaction to the current postponement of football, but considering his mischievous side, he might have started off by raising a query about the 1914-1915 season, when a football season was controversially allowed to continue and finish despite the onset of the First World War. With Everton coming out as eventual champions in 1915, Shankly would have derived pleasure from asking for that season to be retrospectively scrapped. However, after an initial few witty comments, I’m sure he would have accepted the ruling gracefully and then promptly developed a whole range of novel home-based training techniques to keep his team socially distanced, occupied and fit to restart the season at any point. He is also likely to have issued some words of caution, concern and encouragement for football fans and the public in general, drawing on those pragmatic socialist principles that always guided him.

Jürgen Klopp - next UK Prime Minister?

Half a century after Bill Shankly’s life/death comment, another iconic Liverpool manager has released a statement in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the initial postponement of all football (that postponement now extended to April 30^th at the least). In his statement (contradicting Snakly’s witticism), Klopp has reminded us all that football is, in his words, merely ‘the most important of the least important things’. And reading the statement has been a source of comfort and a grounding experience for Liverpool fans and probably all football fans. Such has been the impact of the statement on professional wind-bag Russell Brand that he has suggested that Klopp replace Boris Johnson as UK Prime Minister.

Jürgen Klopp

2019-2020 season - what lies in store?

So regarding this most important of the least important things, where is the 2019-2020 English football season at? The truth is that the picture is changing rapidly and no one really knows. However, the good old BBC Sport website provides regular and comprehensive updates and I’ve found myself clicking in there on a daily basis, just like I would in more normal times when looking for updates on results, team selection, upcoming fixtures, etc.

In their most recent analysis, the bottom line is that the BBC has concluded that the season will restart in early May in order to be completed by the end of June. This bottom line has been reached after considering a myriad of factors relating not just to the Premier league but also to the other competitions that remain unfinished.

Factors in favour of a restart and finish of the current season include the fact that so many other football competitions have been cancelled completely (Euro 2020 and the Copa America have been put back to 2021), meaning that space is being created to finish domestic football. And it appears that most if not all Premier League clubs want to complete the season (despite those calls from the West Ham vice-chairperson to have the season declared ‘null and void’). The likelihood is that, even if the season is restarted in May, matches will be played behind closed doors with no fans attending and strict protocols preventing fans from gathering outside or near football grounds.

Remember too that it’s not just Liverpool who will want to get this season restarted and finished properly. In the Premier League alone, teams like Sheffield United and Wolves are making very strong pushes for the dizzy heights of Champions League spots. Then there’s the multiple possibilities of promotion and relegation still to play for between the Premier League, Championship and so on down the football league hierarchy. Leeds and West Brom look odds on for promotion to the Premier League next season - they certainly won’t want the whole thing scrapped now. And the same goes for Coventry in League One and any of the top five in League Two, from Crewe to Cheltenham and maybe even further down.

Why an early May restart?

While Liverpool are focussed on nine remaining Premier League matches (only two of which must be won to secure the title), teams such as our two rivals in Manchester could have 18 or 19 games left this season, considering other competitions beyond the Premier League. So in order to have all competitions finished by the end of June, early May is the latest date for a feasible restart.

And why an end date of June 30^th? Sponsorship deals and player contracts are generally wound up by June 30^th, hence this date is being viewed as the latest feasible finishing date for the season, considering also the need for a few weeks break before the start of the 2020-2021 season.

However, considering how the COVID-19 situation is changing and escalating on a daily basis, with corresponding changes in social restrictions and government policy, we really don’t know if or when the 2019-2020 football season will be finished. 

So in the absence of any certainty, I leave you with the wise words of the great Mr. Klopp, in his statement issued on March 13^th:

I don’t think this is a moment where the thoughts of a football manager should be important, but I understand for our supporters they will want to hear from the team and I will front that.

First and foremost, all of us have to do whatever we can to protect one another. In society I mean. This should be the case all the time in life, but in this moment I think it matters more than ever.

I’ve said before that football always seems the most important of the least important things. Today, football and football matches really aren’t important at all.

Of course, we don’t want to play in front of an empty stadium and we don’t want games or competitions suspended, but if doing so helps one individual stay healthy - just one - we do it no questions asked.

If it’s a choice between football and the good of the wider society, it’s no contest. Really, it isn’t.

Today’s decision and announcement is being implemented with the motive of keeping people safe. Because of that we support it completely. We have seen members of teams we compete against become ill. This virus has shown that being involved in football offers no immunity. To our rival clubs and individuals who are affected and to those who later will become so, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

None of us know in this moment what the final outcome will be, but as a team we have to have belief that the authorities make decisions based on sound judgement and morality.

Yes, I am the manager of this team and club and therefore carry a leadership responsibility with regards to our future on the pitch. But I think in the present moment, with so many people around our city, the region, the country and the world facing anxiety and uncertainty, it would be entirely wrong to speak about anything other than advising people to follow expert advice and look after themselves and each other.

The message from the team to our supporters is only about your well-being. Put your health first. Don’t take any risk. Think about the vulnerable in our society and act where possible with compassion for them.

Please look after yourselves and look out for each other.

You’ll Never Walk Alone,

Jürgen

Pandemic running

Adjusting to the reality of living through a pandemic has been surreal and difficult for most of us, even those of us not yet directly affected by the infection. The initial disbelief and giddiness of recent weeks has now been replaced by a slowly dawning realization that life is going to be very different for everyone, and dangerous for many, for several months to come. 

And along with protecting ourselves and our families at this time, it is also vital that we think of and support our friends and colleagues working in front-line health services.

Although it may sound clichéd, it is important to focus on the things we can control during these times of externally enforced changes, when privileges we only recently took for granted such as shaking hands or unconscious face-touching, are suddenly off limits. Developing an internal locus of control is always more healthy psychologically, and all the more so at difficult times like this.  

Locus of control explained through the medium of cartoon. 

The bottom line: internal is better than external

Anyone unlucky enough to get one of my lectures on the many physical and psychological benefits of running will know how much I value this activity as a means of keeping things normal and having a sense of control over your day and indeed your life. And so far, the advice in this country is that it is safe to walk and run in outdoor areas, while being mindful of social distancing from others. Therefore, keeping a running routine has never been more important for me (and I’m sure for all runners and walkers) than right now.

One of my staple running routes involves an approximately 5 km loop from Ballina to Killaloe and back. The pattern of that running route is the most familiar of my Strava maps, Strava being a kind of Facebook for runners, cyclists and swimmers that records the detail of your various activities and can be shared with friends. This running route map vaguely resembles a badly drawn bow tie with a 3 km loop on the northeastern Tipperary side and a 2 km loop on the southwestern Clare side, the two loops being joined by the bow tie knot of the bridge crossing the river Shannon. 

The running route between Ballina and Killaloe: very vaguely reminiscent of a bow tie

The bridge between Ballina and Killaloe: the knot in the bow tie

Depending on whether I’m training for a race or just ticking over in between training programmes, I do this particular loop at least three or four times a week at varying levels of intensity, mostly alone but sometimes accompanied by my son and/or our dog. The run is dotted with countless landmarks of personal and historical significance and I could write a whole blog entry on each of them. 

The route takes me past the marina and Lakeside Hotel and across to the bridge memorial for the Scariff Martyrs, down the canal bank and past Murrough’s Well, then back up the slow climb of New Street to the ancient site of Brian Boru’s palace at Kincora (now occupied by St. Flannan's Catholic Church), followed by the sweet descent down Killaloe’s Main Street, Church Street and on to Royal Parade where, after a quick look up at the majestic St. Flannan’s Cathedral, there’s a left turn back towards the bridge and across the Shannon again for home.

The Lakeside Hotel 

Brian Boru: High King of Ireland and 'Emperor of the Irish' 

Within St. Flannan’s Cathedral alone, there are dozens of points of historical interest, including the Romaesque doorway, the Ogham and Rune stone, the Kilfenora High Cross and the magnificent stained glass windows. 

Romanesque doorway, St. Flannan's Cathedral

Ogham stone

Kilfenora High Cross

The walls are filled with stone plaques commemorating various families from down through the centuries, telling sad stories of sons lost to war and fathers lost to the sea. But there is one plaque in St. Flannan’s, dedicated to Dr. George Purdon, that has a particular resonance right now. The inscription goes as follows:

In memory of George Purdon Esq., FRCSI, for many years Medical Attendant of the Killaloe Dispensary, whose exertions during a season of unparalleled distress exhausted his strength and deprived the sick and needy of a kind a skilful and an unwearied friend.

This tablet is erected by the surrounding inhabitants of all creeds and of all classes. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me.

Dr. Purdon's memorial plaque

Dr. Purdon died in 1848, with The Great Famine still raging through Ireland. The ‘unparalleled distress’ that ‘exhausted his strength’ may mean that he died from an infection such as Cholera, like so many of his patients.

So I stopped off on my running route today and went in to St. Flannan’s to read about Dr. Purdon again, mindful of the current health crisis affecting our nation and of the healthcare staff all over Ireland and the wider world working tirelessly and doing all in their power to protect and to treat.

St. Flannan's Cathedral, by Deborah Lonsdale, 2020

Emil and Dana - an Olympian love affair

In a romantic coincidence of Hollywood proportions, Dana Ingrová and Emil Zátopek were both born on September 19^th 1922 in what is now the Czech Republic. They met at a sporting event in the 1940s, marrying soon after and remaining together for over five decades, until Emil’s death in 2000. Dana was a leading javelin thrower and Emil is widely regarded as being one of the finest long distance runners of all time.

They lived through intensely tough times in communist Czechoslovakia, suffering terribly as a result of the ruling regime. But their sporting achievements shine through and remain unparalleled in many ways. Dana represented Czechoslovakia in the javelin competition at four consecutive Olympics, between 1948 and 1960, winning one gold and one silver medal during that time. In 1958 she threw a wooden javelin longer than any woman in history and this particular record is forever hers, as javelins are now made from metal. Emil broke several world records in his track running career, where he specialized in distances up to and including the 10,000 metres.

Dana Zátopek in action...

And her husband Emil leading here, with his characteristic grimace

Through all their sporting achievements and subsequent challenges in their lives after athletics, the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki is the time when their stars aligned most perfectly. Emil won the gold medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres races before deciding to have a go at the marathon, his very first race at that distance. In an achievement that has never been and is unlikely to ever be paralleled, he took gold in the marathon too. And in another unprecedented occurrence, Dana won gold in the javelin competition just an hour after her husband’s 5,000 metre triumph.

Emil and Dana 

Her recollection in 2012 of that wonderful day in Helsinki 60 years before is full of both joy and humility: “I was closeted in the changing room alone trying to concentrate on the ordeal (her own javelin competition) ahead and trying to stay composed, but it was impossible. So I listened to the crowd cheering, trying in vain to figure out who they were cheering for. When the noise died down, I could wait no longer. I jumped up and ran out of the changing room, bumping into the Soviet coach, Romanov. ‘Who won?’ I blurted out. And I remember he looked at me dumbfounded because, of course, Emil had won, and his own wife had not gone to watch”.

At a press conference after her gold medal winning performance, Emil had jokingly tried to take credit for Dana’s achievement, saying that he had inspired her. “Really?” she said. “OK, go inspire some other girl and see if she throws a javelin 50 meters!”

Like many others looking ahead at the next few weeks of pandemic related restrictions in movement and social activity, I have been looking out for something good to read. Of course I have many unread titles that look at me accusingly from my own bookshelves, so I don’t have to go far to find something. And among the titles I have earmarked is Richard Askwith’s acclaimed biography of Emil Zátopek: ‘Today we die a little’.

In preparation for reading the biography, I did a quick online search this morning for some facts relating to the great athlete and, in a sad coincidence, up popped the New York times obituary with news that his dear wife Dana had passed away peacefully in Prague only yesterday, at the age of 97.

In these times when we must be more vigilant and protective of our elderly family and neighbours than ever, remember that they are more than just ‘infirm’ or ‘vulnerable’. Like the humble 97 year old lady who passed away peacefully in Prague yesterday, remember that our older citizens carry memories of joy, hardship and achievements that we may only ever dream of. 

Helsinki Olympics, 1952: Emil has just won the marathon

Bloody Sunday, 1920

‘They’re only shooting blanks’

Fifteen thousand people thronged into Croke Park, Dublin on Sunday November 21^st 1920 to watch an eagerly awaited Gaelic Football match that was to be contested between the two premier footballing counties of the time, Tipperary and Dublin. Ten minutes into the game, several hundred members of the British Crown Forces, both police and soldiers, descended on the stadium with orders to detain and question all attendees.

Croke Park, pictured around 1920

In an unprecedented example of a military force opening fire on a sporting crowd, chaos and carnage subsequently ensued, with fourteen civilians being shot or (as in the case of 26 year old Jane Byrne) crushed as people frantically tried to escape the stadium. Among those shot was Michael Hogan of Grangemockler, right corner back on the Tipperary team that day. Such was the shock of the crowd when police started to open fire that one person is alleged to have shouted in disbelief: ‘They’re only shooting blanks’.

      Michael Hogan of Grangemockler, Co. Tipperary (1896-1920)

‘Bloody Sunday’ is now recognized as a seminal day in Ireland’s War of Independence and in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Within a few years of the atrocity, Michael Hogan was forever immortalized when one of the main stands in Croke Park was named in his honour.

1920: warfare, espionage and gaelic sports

The Irish War of Independence was at its height in November 1920, with Irish Republican guerrillas pitted against British Crown Forces in the form of the British Army, The Royal Irish Constabulary and, most reviled of all, the ‘Auxillaries’ and ‘Black and Tans’. Hundreds had already died on both sides of the bloody conflict by November 1920 and it would continue until July 1921, after which time it would be followed closely by almost a year of civil war. 

Because the British were slowly but surely losing control, martial law and other emergency measures had been imposed throughout much of the southern part of Ireland by late 1920. Such restrictions meant that the Munster Football Championship of 1920 was thrown into disarray. In the Leinster championship, Dublin beat Kildare in the final in Croke Park on August 29^th 1920 on a score of 1-3 to 3 points. Cavan had the better of Armagh on a score of 4-6 to 1-4 in the Ulster final, played in Cootehill on August 8^th 1920. Mayo beat Sligo by 2-3 to 1-4 in the Connacht decider in Castlrea on August 22^nd 1920. In the first of the All-Ireland semi-finals, Dublin defeated Cavan by 3-6 to 1-3 in Navan. In a hint of things to come, the Dublin players were stopped, searched and delayed by British Forces on their return to Dublin. 

With martial law imposed in the southern province, the Munster championship was stalled completely. The official record shows that Tipperary beat Clare in the Munster Quarter-Final after a replay on August 15^th 1920. However, they did not play their deferred 1920 Munster semi-final against Waterford until February 19^th 1922. And the story of Bloody Sunday, Michael Hogan and many other victims lies in that gap.

The footballing story of 1920 goes that the Dublin football team, fresh from their All-Ireland semi-final victory over Cavan, were getting uppity. And knowing that they were unable to complete the Munster championship anytime soon so that they could get to play them in the All-Ireland championship, the Tipperary team issued a ‘challenge’ to Dublin. Thus came about the ill-fated November clash of the Tipperary and Dublin footballers in Croke Park.

Ticket for the 'Bloody Sunday' match

If the ongoing events of the Irish War of Independence to date had not created enough tension and terror throughout the country, on the actual morning of the match, Michael Collins’s ‘Squad’ had systematically sought out and killed several British spies in Dublin. Considering these highly significant targeted killings on the morning of November 21st and the long established associations between the GAA and Irish independence movements, it was not surprising that Crown police and soldiers were dispatched to Croke Park to look for Republican ‘sympathizers’ among the crowd.    

The Tipperary team, minutes before the match. 

Michael Hogan is in the middle row, 5th from the left

The Dublin team

Ormond Historical Society

On Monday March 9^th, the Ormond HistoricalSociety hosted a wonderful event at the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh to commemorate the tragic events and victims of Bloody Sunday. Nenagh historian John Flannery delivered his thoroughly researched lecture with great passion. Acknowledged on the night for their vital roles in commemorating this centenary year of Bloody Sunday were the Tipperary GAA County Board, the Bloody Sunday Commemoration Committee and Friends of Tipperary Football.

Mr. Flannery’s absorbing lecture was followed by numerous questions and points of interest. And it was one of those points (raised by the very learned Mr. Connors from Borrisoleigh) that has inspired the last part of this blog.

The road to Thurles and Kelly's of Fantane

The journey from our village of Ballina, on the western side of northern Tipperary, to Semple Stadium in Thurles, takes ‘an hour and a quarter’ according to our family tradition. Apart from the optional new stretch of motorway between Ballina and Nenagh, the route to Thurles has been the same for centuries before even the foundation of the GAA in 1884. It is a winding and sometimes dangerous road but for followers of GAA sports and Tipperary in particular it is a route of great meaning and significance. My most recent trip to Semple Stadium was with my son and my father last August to see the Tipperary Senior Hurling team in their open training session in preparation for the All-Ireland Hurling Final later that month.

From countless trips to matches over the decades, I know the road from Ballina to Semple Stadium the way you might know a favourite old rhyme from childhood, by heart. It is a looping, winding and at times dangerous country road, but you are pulled along the whole way by the prospect of Thurles and the hurling excitement ahead.

After Nenagh town comes the country area known as Latteragh and then you pass a sign for the village of Templederry off to the right. A few more miles brings you on to the hurling bastion of Borrisoleigh, and then you continue on a few more miles to the tiny village known as The Ragg, the home of Drom and Inch GAA club. Soon after that you can feel the excitement mounting as you hit the outskirts of Thurles, the birthplace of the GAA and of course ‘Tom Semple’s field’, the most magical place in Ireland to play hurling.

Along the middle of the route, somewhere between Latteragh and Borrisoleigh, you pass on the left a quarry site known as ‘Kelly’s of Fantane’. Kelly's is a well established firm, with their trucks and road-works machinery a familiar sight all over Tipperary and the Midwest. But the next time I pass Kelly’s of Fantane on the way to Semple Stadium, I will be mindful of the special significance of their quarry site for the GAA and the Irish struggle for independence, something unknown to me and most people until this week’s meeting of the Ormond Historical Society and thanks to the point of information from the aforementioned Mr. Connors.

Just a few years after the Bloody Sunday murders in Croke Park, Michael Hogan’s name was forever immortalized when the GAA named one of the main stands in the stadium in his honour. In the late 1950s, major works were carried out on Croke Park and some of structures from the original Hogan Stand were taken to Limerick where they were used in construction work on the Gaelic Grounds. The early 2000s saw a redevelopment of the Gaelic Grounds and Kelly’s of Fantane were involved in some of the demolition and construction work. And as part of this project, they removed the original Hogan Stand and took it off again on one final journey, this time to have its ageing trusses form part of the building at the firm’s quarry site on the side of that road to Thurles, between Latteragh and Borrisoleigh. 

So now a century after his murder on that Sunday afternoon in Dublin a century ago, Michael Hogan’s stand has come to rest in his native county. And for me, that poetic journey from Ballina to Thurles has been embellished with an extra poignant verse.    

 The Tipperary team that would ultimately go on to win the 1920 All-Ireland championship, deferred due to war until 1922. In this photo, Dan Breen (Tipperary native and reputedly at one stage a member of Michael Collins' 'The Squad') is pictured in the centre of the middle row. 

An Dushlan ('The Challenge'): 

one of the centenary commemorative events arranged by the Bloody Sunday Centenary Commemoration Committee

   The Hogan Stand in the modern 82,000 capacity Croke Park