The revival of the Tailteann Games was designed to emphasise Ireland’s ancient sporting lineage
Among the stars at the 1924 Tailteann Games was the American Johnny Weismuller, who later found fame as an actor playing Tarzan. Photograph: Getty
It was first planned to happen in 1922. Then the Civil War intervened. But on the plus-side, the two-year delay allowed the event to piggy-back on Paris games, attracting international athletes to what was originally envisaged as something confined to athletes of Irish birth or lineage.
A measure of the hard times then is that the workers were campaigning not for extra money, but for the mitigation of a proposed pay-cut of six shillings a week. After a hastily agreed settlement, the cut was much reduced. “Very few young Irishmen are in a position to make this sacrifice. The result is that, as far as running and jumping are concerned, we have nobody in this country who is in the same class with some of our visitors who will compete at Croke Park this week.”
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