Ballyneale’s Tom Kiely, or simply ‘the Champion Kiely’, died on this day in 1951.
He won a remarkable 53 national titles, two world titles, an Olympic gold medal (that we are honoured to have in our gallery) and set numerous world records along the way. He is rightly remembered as one of Ireland’s greatest ever athletes.
Thomas Francis Kiely was born on 25 August 1869. As the oldest son of William Kiely and Mary (née Downey) in a family of ten children, young Tom grew up working on the farm, building strength and stamina that would later serve him well. He also benefited from top-notch mentoring by the Davins, Ireland’s ‘first family’ of athletics, led by Maurice Davin, a founding member of the GAA.
Kiely’s breakthrough season came in 1892 when he captured his first Irish Athletic Amateur Federation (IAAF) championship in the all-around and won an unprecedented seven individual crowns at the GAA championship at Jones Road (now Croke Park) in Dublin. Kiely’s prolific run would continue for the better part of two decades, as he amassed over 1,000 medals, trophies and prizes. Although governed as an amateur sport, athletics took centre stage as the country’s premier spectator sport, aided in part by gambling to increase its popularity. Additionally, prizes awarded to the athletes tended to be practical (and valuable), such as clocks, suits of clothes, teapots, silver bowls and other items that a farmer like Kiely could use.
In 1904, Kiely travelled to St Louis, Missouri to participate in the combined Olympics and World Championship. The all-around took place on 4 July during a torrential downpour. The ten disciplines comprised the 100-yards, shot-put, high-jump, 880-yard walk, hammer, pole-vault, 120-yard high hurdles, 56lb-weight throw, long-jump and mile run. Wearing a shamrock on his jersey, Kiely slogged through the mud and easily dispatched his rivals to win the gold medal.
For the next three months he enjoyed an extended victory tour in the US, where Irish-Americans fêted one of their own with a series of gala celebrations. Kiely returned to the US in 1906 to claim another all-around world title, winning by an even bigger margin on a much dryer track in Boston.
After retiring from athletics in 1908, he settled down with his wife on a farm at Fruitdale, near Dungarvan, where they raised eight children. He remained involved in sport as a mentor to young athletes. Remarkably, his personal bests remain competitive in the 21st century. His record in the triple jump would have ranked him third-best in Ireland in 2018, and he would have earned a top-ten placement in the long-jump, hammer and shot-put.
If you want to find out more about Tom Kiely’s remarkable life and career, we have Kevin McCarthy’s book ‘Tom Kiely: Erin’s Champion’ on sale in the museum for €17.
Sources:
Christopher Warner, “‘The Champion Kiely’—Ireland’s greatest athlete?” Published in History Ireland magazine Issue 4 (July/August 2019), Volume 27. Retrieved on 05/11/2024 at https://historyireland.com/the-champion-kiely-irelands.../
