The team at the Croke Park Museum are putting the finishing touches to an event next week which will explore the rich vein of Ireland’s and the world’s history of relationships between politics and sport.
Given the amount of material of historic importance on display, including the shirt worn by Tom Hogan the day he was shot on the pitch as part of Bloody Sunday, you might imagine there would be little need to look beyond the Association’s own history but next week’s Summer School has a much broader horizon.
A fascinating series of talks from Thursday to Saturday will examine the much wider theme of ‘Sport and Politics’ and the effects they have had on one another since the 1870s.
Fifty years ago, in 1967, Harry Edwards established the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) through which he called for a Black athlete boycott of the United States 1968 Olympic team, in order to highlight the racial inequities and barriers that existed in sport and society.
The movement resulted in demonstrations by Black athletes across America and ultimately at the 1968 Mexico City games where the iconic ‘Black Power Salute’ was delivered by Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
Edwards wil be the keynote speaker at this year’s Summer School and will provide a unique window on one of the defining moments of the crossover between sport and politics.
Cormac Moore, Dublin City Council’s Historian in Residence will talk about the split in Irish soccer that led to the formation of the Football Association of Ireland in the Republic and the Irish Football Association in the North.
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Ireland’s place at the Olympics and the Irish Republican movement’s relationship with sport are also on the agenda and the cultural trauma felt by the people of Liverpool in the aftermath of the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy.
Jarlath Burns will look at the role of the GAA in Irish Politics since before the formation of the state and Sean Kelly will give a ‘players’ account of the transformational moments that led to the changes to Rule 42 that opened up Croke Park to other sports and paved the way for the current bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
It is a wide, eclectic and fascinating mix and a great event for anyone with an interest in the history of sport and of the nation.
“The event will be of huge interest to anyone with a keen interest in sport, politics or history,” said GAA Museum archivist Mark Reynolds.
“The broad overall theme of ‘Sport and Politics’ and the calibre of the speakers ensures that this will be an engaging and stimulating experience for all those who attend.”
“We are honoured to have high profile speakers attending from all over the world, including Doctor Harry Edwards, Professor John Hughson and Professor Alan Bairner. It is a unique opportunity to ask questions and interact with these speakers.”
It promises to be a very special three days from June 29th to July 1st. Tickets can be bought for one or more of the days at www.crokepark.ie
The event is supported by RTÉ Radio 1 as official radio partners.
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Find out more about our next major event looking at the impact of Sport for Social Good in September 2017.
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