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| Gaelic Athletics Association History by Richard Jackson |
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| Above, Dan Carpenter prepares to throw the heavy stone at the Quad Cities' Celtic Festival. Photo credit: Joshua Heston | |||
| In Ireland, the year of 1884 was a time of social decay for Gaelic culture and tradition. Political oppression went hand in hand with economic depression. The Gaelic language lay dying, but was not yet dead. The west bound ship was taking the flower of Erin’s manhood to walk on streets of gold. The survivors at home were engaged in a life-or-death struggle for their lands and homes. At this time, traditional Irish pastimes and athletics were being laid to waste by English penal laws and decrees. Athletics in Ireland was controlled directly by the English Amateur Athletics Association. Funded in 1880, the AAA excluded the common working man from all British athletic competitions which existed. Maurice Davin — a gentlemen farmer from Carric on-Suir, Ireland; an Irish Champion weight thrower; national record holder; athlete hero of that time; and future G.A.A. president — wrote, "the laws under which athletic sports are held in Ireland were designed mainly for the guidance of Englishmen, and they do not deal at all with the Characteristic sports and pastimes of the Irish race." There were a few men of action who saw where this neglect of the native Irish games would lead. Michael Cusack, originally of Clare, was one of them. On October 11, 1884, Cusack wrote an article in the form of a letter for "United Ireland" in which he sent a call to the people of Ireland “to take the management of athletics into their own hands and promote every form of athletics which is peculiarly Irish and remove, with one sweep, everything foreign and iniquitous in the present system". Two weeks later, on October 25, Maurice Davin wrote a letter for publication in which he gave his approval of Cusack's position. A week later still, there appeared in print another letter from Michael Cusack in which he called for a meeting in Thurles, County Tipperary. Cusack's specific aim was, "to take steps for the formation of a Gaelic association for the preservation and cultivation of our national pastimes." The letter was signed by Maurice Davin and Michael Cusack. This momentous and historic meeting took place on October 27, 1884, in the billard room of the Haye's Hotel in Thurles, County Tipperary. It was with this historic first meeting that "a Gaelic Athletic Association for the Preservation and Cultivation of National Pastimes" was formed. Maurice Davin was elected first president. Michael Cusack, John Wyse Power and John McKay were elected secretaries. On December 18 of the same year, Archbishop Croke — then the idol of the Irish race — wrote a letter of response, consenting to become the first patron of Ireland’s new national athletic association. The subject of this first meeting was not hurling, Gaelic football or hand ball. None of these now-dominant Irish national sports were mentioned. The entire meeting was focused on the organization of a large scale meeting for the Gaelic race — a rebirth of the ancient Tailteann Games. Motion was made to organize and fund this athletic meeting, as was the profitable Caledonian Games held the previous Easter at Ballsbridge. Traditional Irish athletic events were to be included on the program, and those specifically mentioned at the meeting were the high jump, the long jump, throwing the hammer, slinging the 56 lbs. and putting or throwing the 16 lbs. In January of 1885, the association adopted its constitution and first code of rules for the games of hurling, football, weight throwing, jumping, running, walking and cycling. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was firmly in place within six months of that first meeting in Thurles. Clubs were formed and spread like wild fire throughout the country. The GAA and their English-backed nemesis, the Irish Amateur Athletic Association (IAAA), ran athletic meetings up until the First World War of 1914-1918. However, this era of two governing bodies controlling all athletics in Ireland was about to come to an end. The new era with one national controlling body, the National Athletic and Cycling Association of Ireland (NACAI) came into being in 1922 and ushered in perhaps the most turbulent period in Irish athletic history with consequences still in evidence today. This — combined with the advent of the English-backed Olympic movement — marked the end of traditional Irish athletics. Sgt Richard A Jackson and the Gaelic Athletic & Cycle Association have located a copy of the 1885, first code of rules of the GAA, as well as a copy of the 1914-15 GAA book of rules. The officers of the GA&CA have embarked on a project to up date the GAA rules of these forgotten Irish athletic events and sports. We have completed updating the rules for Irish championship weight throwing and are working to reintroduce these Hibernian heavy athletic events back to Irish festivals and fairs. In August of 2006, the Irish Fair of Minnesota was the first festival in three generations to host Irish championship weight throwing. For more information on Irish light and heavy Athletic events and grass track cycle racing, contact: Sgt Richard A Jackson Founder and Operation Director Gaelic Athletics’ & Cycle Association Wisconsinscottish@msn.com www.Wisconsinscottish.org February 1, 2007 |
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