Jerrold Casway coined the phrase “The Emerald Age of Baseball” to describe the 1890s, when so many Irish names dominated teams’ rosters. But one can easily agree—and expand—that the period from the mid–1830s well into the first decade of the 20th century and assign the term to American sports in general. This book covers the Irish sportsman from the arrival of James “Deaf” Burke in 1836 through to Jack B. Kelly’s rejection by Henley regatta and his subsequent gold medal at the 1920 Olympics. It avoids recounting the various victories and defeats of the Irish sportsman, seeking instead to deal with the complex interaction that he had with alcohol, gambling and Sunday leisure: pleasures that were banned in most of America at some time or other between 1836 and 1920. This book also covers the Irish sportsman’s close relations with politicians, his role in labor relations, his violent lifestyle—and by contrast—his participation in bringing respectability to sport. It also deals with native Irish sports in America, the part played by the Irish in “Team USA’s” initial international sporting ventures, and in the making and breaking of amateurism within sport.
Patrick R. Redmond has written for the BBC and London newspapers Irish World and Irish Post. He lives just outside of London, United Kingdom.
“A standout piece of scholarship…valuable contribution to Irish sport history scholarship”–Irish Economic and Social History
“Well-researched”–Newsday.
Author(s): Patrick R. Redmond
Publisher: McFarland
Year: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 479
Tags: Irish Studies; Ireland
Cover......Page 1
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 12
1. The Millers—The Irish Sportsman’s Road to America......Page 16
2. The Shanty—The Irish-Born Sportsman in America......Page 24
3. The Clamor—The Irish Sportsman in the Big City and Small Town......Page 45
4. The Joint—The Irish Sportsman and Alcohol......Page 71
5. Racketeers and Suckers—The Irish Sportsman and Gambling......Page 95
6. The Heeler—The Irish Sportsman and Politics......Page 115
7. The Crank—The Irish and Fan Culture......Page 142
8. Buccaneers—The Irish Sportsman and Fighting the Law......Page 168
9. Big Shots—The Irish and Sporting Management......Page 187
10. Sluggers—The Irish Sportsman and Violence......Page 215
11. Swells—The Irish Sportsman and Respectability......Page 248
12. Cronies—The Irish Sportsman and Irish Identity......Page 271
13. Ballyhoo—Irish Sports and Games in the United States......Page 299
14. Skedaddle—The Irish Sportsman and International Competition......Page 327
15. Squares—The Irish Sportsman and Amateurism......Page 358
16. So long—Epilogue......Page 392
Notes......Page 404
Bibliography......Page 448
Index......Page 462
