The GAA Museum is to host a fascinating series of talks at Croke Park this summer examining the theme of ‘Sport and Politics’ and the effects they have had on one another since the 1870s.
It will go well beyond talk of GAA as well with one session devoted to 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.
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.
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.”
Doctor Edwards, the former Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, will speak on the history of sport and racial segregation in America from the 1960s.
Fifty years ago, in 1967, 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.
It promises to be a very special three days from June 29th to July 1st.
