TROPHY NIGHT AT THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY A SUCCESS

Three Descendants of I-AAC Athletes in Attendance

May 27, 2009.  More than a dozen century-old trophies were on display and three descendants of Irish-American Athletic Club athletes were present at a lecture entitled: "The Irish Contribution to Amateur Athletics in Early 20th Century New York: The Irish-American Athletic Club and the Gaelic Athletic Association," hosted by the American Irish Historical Society. The event also featured a display of historic photographs of the Irish-American Athletic Club.

Larry McCarthy, chairman of the New York Gaelic Athletic Association, and Ian McGowan, founder of the Winged Fist Organization, discussed the history of Gaelic games in New York and the important role of the Irish-American Athletic Club and their stadium, Celtic Park in Sunnyside, Queens.

As a result of the Winged Fist Organization's website and continuing publicity efforts, there were three descendants of Irish-American Athletic Club athletes in attendance; Patricia McGuirl-Sharma, grand niece of Irish Olympic champion weight thrower Matt McGrath, Mary McGrath (no relation to Matt), grand niece of Irish Olympic champion hammer-thrower Patrick O’Callagahan and grand daughter of I-AAC athlete Mike O’Callaghan, and Cathy Donohue, grand niece of I-AAC world’s record holder Harry Gissing. To the delight of many, Ms. Donohue brought her grand uncle’s original scrapbook, with dozens of newspaper clippings related to Harry Gissing’s athletic career with the Irish-American Athletic Club.

Kate Feighery, a gradute student in NYU's Irish Studies Master's Program and her father John brought with them a reproduction of a 1929 sports page from The Irish Echo, which included a picture of John’s father Jack Feighery in a photo of the Offaly hurling team, and an article about the match he played at Innisfail Park (before it was known as Gaelic Park).

Distinguished guests included; Niall Burgess, the Consul General of Ireland, Andrew McGowan, founder and president of the WB Yeats Society of NY and Timothy Daly Bogner of The Irish Echo. Author Joe Kearney, who is writing a book on Irish Olympians, made the trip down from Massachusetts, and was kind enough to bring some books and pamphlets from his personal collection related to the I-AAC to share at the reception after the lecture.

It is the hope of the Winged Fist Organization that this was just one of many events that will include descendants of the athletes of the Irish-American Athletic Club.

More Photos...

Irish 'Field of Dreams' kept alive by Queens historian Irish Emigrant, June 1st – 7th, 2009.