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Abstract
In the 22 years between 1935 and 1956, the Irish Olympic Council and its later variant the Olympic Council of Ireland engaged in a struggle with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the right to be recognized as Ireland in Olympic competition and to include Irish nationals regardless of their place of residence on the island on the team. After competing as Ireland in 1924, 1928 and 1932, the landscape changed significantly in 1935 when Ireland was rebranded as the Irish Free State and its selection was limited to the state's boundaries by the IOC. As a result, Ireland failed to compete in the 1936 Berlin Games and over the next two decades Irish Olympic officials engaged in a campaign for the right to select Irish nationals, regardless of where they resided in the island and to be recognized as Ireland for Olympic purposes. This had serious implications for Irish sport and had the potential to split the national federations on political boundary lines.
Acknowledgements
The author thanks Matthew Llewellyn and Erik Nielsen and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on this article.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
John Chisholm to R.M. Ritter, honorary secretary-treasurer, FINA, 25 November 1948 (Irish Olympic Council Official Report, aCitation1949, 44).
1. Olympics Studies Centre Historical Archive (OSCHA), Lausanne. D-RMO1-Irlan/002, A.C. Berdez to P.J. Kilcullen, 14 May 1935.
2. OSCHA, IOC Meeting Minutes – DVD 1: Executive Board (henceforth IOCEB) 1921–1969, Stockholm, minute of 2 June 1936; IOC Meeting Minutes – DVD 1: IOC Session Minutes (henceforth IOCSM), Berlin Session, 31 July 1936, p. 1.
3. OSCHA, D-RMOI-Irlan/002, Kilcullen to Berdez, 24 January 1938, 8 February 1938; Berdez to Kilcullen, 4, 23, 25 February 1938, 24 May 1938.
4. OSCHA, D-RMOI, Irlan/002, Baillet-Latour to Aberdale, 20 June 1939; Broy to Edström, 18 March 1948.
5. IOCSM, London, 29 July 1948, pp. 14–15.
6. OSCHA, Corr. President (January–April) 1949, Mayer to Edström, 4 January 1949.
7. OSCHA, D-RMOI-Irlan/002, SD2, Corr. 1945–1949, O'Connor to Coutrot, 24 January 1949; Mayer to Edström, 19 February 1949.
8. OSCHA, Corr. President 1949, Edström to Mayer, 22, 25 February 1949
9. IOCSM, Rome, 24–29 April 1949, p. 11. Also Mayer to Chisholm, 3 May 1949.
10. OSCHA, D-RMOI/Irlan/002, Chisholm to Mayer 26, 28 April 1949.
11. OSCHA, D-RMOI/Irlan/002, Chisholm to Mayer, 10 June 1949.
12. OSCHA, Corr. President (May–September) 1949, Edström to Mayer, 22 June 1949, 23 July 1949.
13. National Archives Ireland (NAI), Dublin, TSCH/3/S11053 C, Patrick O'Carroll to Conor Cruise O'Brien at Department of Foreign Affairs, 11 July 1949.
14. OSCHA, Corr. President, Edström to Mayer, undated.
15. OSCHA, D-RMOI/Irlan/002, Russell to Mayer, 8, 15 July 1949; Mayer to Russell, 12 July 1949; Edström to Mayer, undated; Chisholm to Mayer, 3 May 1950.
16. British Olympic Association (BOA), IOC/ADM/8/1, Meyer to Chisholm, 26 May 1950.
17. OSCHA, D-RMOIIrl/002, Chisholm to Mayer, 26 May 1950; Burgley to Mayer, 31 May 1950; Burghley to Edström, 12 June 1950; Mayer to Chisholm, 21, 29 June 1950.
18. OSCHA,DRMOI/Irlan/002 Ibid., Carroll to Mayer, 11 August 1950.
19. IOCEB, 28–29 August 1950, p. 8.
20. OSCHA, D-RMOI-Irl/002, Mayer to Carroll, 2 September 1950.
21. OSCHA, ED 119, MER Burghley, David (M of Ex), SD1, Corr. 1933–1951, Burghley to Mayer, 22 January 1951.
22. OSCHA, D-RMOI-Irl/002, Carroll to Mayer, 13 August 1951, 21, 30 June 1950.
23. OSCHA, DT. Edstr Corr, Edstrom to Mayer, 18 August 1951.
24. OSCHA, MER Burghley, David, Corr. 1933–1951, Burghley to Mayer, 21 September 1951.
25. IrOCo, minutes of 26 June 1950, 26 July 1951, 26 June 1952.
26. IOCSM, Oslo Session, 12–13 February 1952, p. 1.
27. OSCHA, Burghley to Edström, 11 October 1951.
28. IOCSM, Helsinki Session, 16 July, 1952, p. 4
29. OSCHA, CIO Pt. Killa. Corr. SD1, Corr. 1952–1959, Brundage to Killanin, 2 September 1952.
30. BOA/IOC/ADM/8/2, Holt to Burghley, 22 May 1956.
31. OSCHA. CIO Pt KIlla. Corr, Killanin to Brundage, 5 November 1955.
32. OSCHA, Killanin to Brundage, 5 November 1955.
33. OSCHA, Brundage to Lewis Luxton, 15 November 1955; Killanin to Mayer, 6 December 1955; Mayer to Killanin, 12 December 1955.
34. BOA/IOC/ADM/8/2, Holt to Burghley. 22 May 1956.
35. National Archives (UK), London, DO 35/5435, C462369. E.G. Le Tocq to A.G.R. Rouse, 17 April 1956.
36. OSCHA, D-RMO1-Irl/002, SD5, Corr, 1955–1959, Burghley to Brundage, 6 April 1956.
37. BOA/IOC/ADM/8/2, Brundage to Burghley, 21 April 1956.
38. NA (UK), DO 35/5435, C462369. Minute of telephone conversation between Le Tocq and Burghley, 2 May 1956.
39. BOA/IOC/ADM/8/2, Brundage to Holt, 23 August 1956.
40. NA (UK), DO 35/5435, C462369. Burghley to Brundage, 7 September 1956. Copies of this letter were sent to Donald Pain (IAAF), the CRO offices, Otto Mayer, M. Massard and Prince Axel.
41. BOA/IOC/ADM/8/2.Burgley to Brundage, 7 September 1956.
42. BOA/IOC/ADM/8/2, Crump to Pain, Crump to Duncan, 7 September 1956; Abrahams to Duncan, 14 September 1956; Pain to Holt, 25 September 1956.
43. IOCEB, minute, 3–4 October 1956, Lausanne, p. 5.
44. NA (UK), DO 35/5435, C462369, Memorandum from Lord Killanin, member of the IOC regarding the name of Ireland in relation to the IOC.
45. IOCEB, minute, 3–4 October 1956, p. 5.
46. BOA/IOC/ADM/8/2, Burghley to Holt, 5 October 1956
47. IOCSM, 19–21 November 1952, p. 11.
48. NAI., see TSCH/3/S11053 C, Athletics and General Physical Training: Proposals for Promoting Revival, 1948–1952.
49. OSCHA, DT. Edstr Corr, Burghley to Edström, 5 June 1951