The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-10-14
IRISH ATHLETICS.
The Best Of Them From the Southern
Counties.


Counties.
Drained of the best of her popula-
ton, as she is week after week, Ire
land is still the mother of the greatest
and brawniest of the worlds athletes,
says The Frontier Sentinel of Newry,
Ire. The best of them somehow, al
ways hail from the southern half of
the island. Ulster has never wanted
for excellent men in the running path,
or as jumpers or weight -throwcrs; but
all the record makers" whose fame
has become worldwide have hailed
from Leaf Mogh in our time.
The advent of the Gaelic Athletic
and men of speed a grand opportunity
for distinguishing themselves. 1t
brought them out" and for twenty
years the wide world all over has not
produced jumpers or weight-throwers
fit to stand in the field with the
champions" Of Munster.
What a glorious band those Gacls
were-and are-beginning with the
early days of the G. A. A.! John Pur-
cell, the great brothers DAWN, Shan
| ahan and Looney, Mccarthy, of Ma
| Groom; O'Reagan, of Mourne Abbey;
the swift O'Sullivans of Cork and
| Kerry; fleet Tommy Conneff, from
| Kildare; poor Willie Real; Drs. Barry
and DAILY: Kiely, evergreen and yet
nvincible after nearly twenty years Of
| invincibility as an "all-round" athlete;
Mitchell who was once uncqualled at
the heavy weights; Dennis Horgan,
the working farmer of Banteer, whose
weight-thrOwing has been the wonder
of the world for nearly quarter of a
century; the Mangans; John Flana-
gam king of weight -throwers and the
greatest wieldcr of the "ponderous
hammer" since the days Of Cuculain;
Tim OConnor and Morty O'Brien;
Frank Dineen, prince of sprinters and
still to the fore as Gaelic handicapper;
the brothers Phbbs, Sheehan and
Dan O'Neill, long distance runners
who never seem to tire-these were
but a few of the mighty band whom
Finn himself might be proud to lead
| to the battle or the chase, or to the
heroic contests on the field of the
Tailtean.
| Some are still to the fore in Ireland.
Some, like the peerless Flanagan, who
has never been beaten, have emigrated
| to the Western Republic. 1t may be
remarked that while Irish-born men
in the States are the greatest athletes
who uphold the fame of America in
almost every department, we cannot
remember one of the first class spring.
ing from amongst the Irish exiles of
the second or third generation.
The old motherland is still the true
nursery of bone and muscle and en-
durance-and ever it will.
The Gael may attain to physical and
intellectual eminence away from the
hills of Ireland; but the extent of his
! development abroad can never be more
than q poor earnest of the height to
which he might reach under favoring
conditions at home. The conditions
have ever been as unfavorable as they
well could be; yet the pre-eminence
of the old races mind and muscle has
asserted itself despite of all.
| At Gaelic sports held in Westport
not long ago, despite the most noble
Browne. who is Marquis of Sligo, and
who ordered the Gaels off his lands
when he discovered they were Gaels-
a youth named Con Leahy-one OF a
wonderful pair Of brothers-jumped a
bar placed 6 feet inches from the
level ground. We have seen the first
prize taken in Ulster by competitor
who succeeded in clearing feet 3
inches.
| Leahy comes from Charleville, on
the borders of Cork and Limerick.
II any reader wishes to realize what
the feat meant, he need only place a
lathe across posts feet 4 inches high
| and contemplate the possibility Of fly
ing over 1t. And it was fair square
jump from the grass, and not leap
from a carefully prepared take off,"
We do not believe there is another
man living in the world who would
have followed Con Leahy, Of Charlie
West. just as no man on earth can
come within fathoms Of Flanagan, Of
Kilmallock, with a 16 lb. hammer.
In prosaic Ulster we pay little heed
to these things: in the South they are
! as proud Of the Leahys, Kielys, Flan-
agans and Sullivans as they are Of