Letter from Dublin/Tim Kirk

“What do you think of all of this Irish success at the Olympics?’ I asked a Dublin friend. ‘Before we would have thought of ourselves as a third world country, not a part of the Olympics. We feel like we are really a part of it now' was Bill’s revealing answer.

The Olympics were an amazing success for Paris, France, Ireland, and the community of nations, a moment of peaceful competition in a world preoccupied with the ongoing war in Ukraine and the threat of an escalating war in the middle east.  Fears of disruption of the games themselves by terrorism were heightened on the day of the opening ceremony with an attack on the French railway system. Torrential rain came down on the city of light, but the show went on. And what a show it was. France staged an opening ceremony for the ages.  Even preternaturally skeptical Parisians threw themselves into the wonder of it as the extravaganza crescendo-ed with Celine Dion singing Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” from the Eiffel Tower.  Only the French would have the audacity to attempt such an over-the-top, city-wide spectacle, and to pull it off. France was rewarded by her Olympic athletes, especially Leon Marchand, a 24-year-old swimmer who won 4 gold medals.

The Irish 2024 Olympic team is the most successful in the 100-year history of independent Ireland by every measure. More Irish athletes competed in more events and won more total medals and more gold medals than ever before. Irish medalists hail from every province of the Island: Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connacht. In swimming, Daniel Wiffen from Armagh took gold and bronze, and Mona McSharry from Sligo took bronze. In rowing, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy from Skibbereen in Cork won their second consecutive gold in the two-man lightweight sculls. Rhys McClenaghan from County Down won gold in the pommel horse.  Boxer Kellie Harrington from Portland Row on Dublin's northside brought home Olympic gold for the second time.

All this Irish Olympic success does not include the “Irish by proxy” medalists. The Irish lay claim to athletes from other countries whose names reveal their heritage.  Swimming medalist Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong is the grandniece of the former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey.  American Ryan Murphy, Australian Kaylee McKeown, and Britain’s Emma Finucane’s names marked them as medalists from the Irish diaspora.

The most surprising element of the success is that the Irish are no longer shocked to compete and win against the world’s best. Sport Ireland leaders are saying that the old concept of “Ireland punching above its weight” should be replaced by “Ireland punching on equal terms.”  Gold medalist Daniel Wiffen said prior to the games: “My goal is to win gold medals.” Rhys McClenaghan said that every day since his loss in Japan during the covid-impaired games, he has thought about one thing: “Winning gold in Paris.” In previous generations, these brash statements would have been considered evidence of “having notions” and better left unsaid, but the days of Ireland’s more modest ambitions “Ah, sure, lookit, we’ll try our best” are gone. During a seven-day stretch Team Ireland won a medal every day.

Ireland could have won even more medals but questionable judging in boxing, bad luck, and underperformance resulted in disappointments.  Runner Ciara Mageean, who had won gold at the European championships in the 1,500 meters and was favored to medal in Paris, had to withdraw with an Achilles injury.  Golf greats Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Leona Maguire underperformed.  Equestrian hopefuls just missed the podium and there were two fourth place finishes on the track.

Team Ireland’s confidence at the Olympics is representative of Ireland’s growing assuredness in all areas of human endeavor, from politics, business, academics, medicine, cinema, music, literature, and more.

In geopolitics, Ireland stood boldly with Norway and Spain to recognize Palestine as a state over the objection of her largest benefactor, the USA. In film, Cillian Murphy won the Oscar for best actor for “Oppenheimer” and the “Quiet Girl” was nominated for best foreign language film. Colm Toibin published a new best seller and Hozier released a new hit album. Even the humble Irish admit that Ireland is indeed “having a moment” as acknowledgements of Irish excellence seem to be everywhere.

Victory has not extinguished the Irish instinct for humility. After winning their second consecutive gold medal, rowers O’Donovan and McCarthy flew to Dublin unannounced.  They planned to buy bus tickets back home to Cork but met a fellow Corkman on the flight who offered to give them a lift home. The O’Donovan brothers gained worldwide fame in 2016 at the Rio games with “hilariously Irish” interviews explaining the strategy of their sport is to “pull like a dog.”  Paul and brother Gary O’Donovan won silver in Rio and Paul went on to win gold in Tokyo and now Paris with McCarthy. When asked about becoming the first Irish Olympian to win medals in three Olympics, Paul said, “It was a fluke.  Maybe it's just that I'm getting old, been around too long.”

Some sociologists attribute this surge in achievement to the processing of intergenerational trauma.  Kathy Scott of Scoil Scairte said, “They say with trauma, that generation one is mute, generation two realizes their parents were mute and they’ve no emotional coping skills, and generation three does something about it.” Maybe Ireland is now in the third stage.

There is probably some truth to that theory, but I think there is a simpler explanation: resources and investment.  The talent of the Irish people in athletics was always there but it was either channeled to indigenous GAA sports or undeveloped; the barriers to entry into Olympic sports were financial. Simply stated, to compete in swimming, trac,k or gymnastics, a country needs swimming pools, modern tracks, gyms, coaches, and programs.  Until very recently, they did not exist in Ireland, another legacy of Ireland's history of colonial wealth extraction.  In the days since the closing ceremony, Minister of Sport Thomas Byrne has announced expanded funding for sports. 

BostonIrish readers will appreciate the effect of the lack of athletic resources in Ireland by considering a comparison. Think of the names of Boston’s Olympic ice hockey greats. The legendary Cleary Brothers, or ‘Miracle on Ice' heroes Jack O’Callaghan and Jim Craig probably come to mind.  Anyone who watched, played, or coached youth, high school and college hockey in Massachusetts will recall the ubiquitous shamrock stickers on helmets, or permanently emblazoned on shoulders or hips. The potential among “the Irish” to play hockey at the highest level was always there. After the Clearys’ glory days and during the Bobby Orr era, hockey rinks were built everywhere in Massachusetts as human potential was matched with investment and hard work. 

By contrast, when we first moved to Ireland, I googled ‘rinks nearby.’  I was disappointed to discover that the exact number of hockey rinks in the Republic of Ireland was (and still is): zero.  The one rink on the island of Ireland is in Belfast. The processing of intergenerational trauma might have something to do with Ireland not having home-grown hockey stars, but the obvious reason is a lack of resources and investment. 

Ireland's rising self-assurance needs to be bolstered by ambitious investment in the country’s people: schools, hospitals, housing, transportation and green energy infrastructure, and sports facilities (maybe even a rink or two!).  Ireland still needs everything, everywhere, all at once.

The largest barrier for the new wealthy Ireland is now not financial but psychological. The Celtic Tiger boom and bust left a legacy of governmental timidity on public investment. There is a sense that Ireland “lost the run of itself” and squandered public money with failed, white elephant projects. The fatalistic fear in Ireland is that if public investment is too aggressive, the money will dry up, housing estates will be left half- built, and another generation of young Irish people will emigrate. 

The bogeyman of emigration is always close to the surface. Ironically, while the specter of emigration is still present, immigration to Ireland has emerged as a larger and more divisive issue. Emigration still happens: an average of 50,000-60,000 Irish people is predicted to leave per year through 2027, driven away by the high cost of living, especially housing.  Immigration to Ireland has been led by refugees and asylum seekers. Over 140,000 Ukrainians have arrived since the Russian invasion of their country. Refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and beyond continue to arrive. In addition to refugees, hospitals actively recruit nurses and doctors from India, the Philippines, and Pakistan while immigrants from Brazil or Nigeria choose Ireland.

Large numbers of black and brown people arriving from the “global south” is a new phenomenon for Ireland, and while racism is a new import, it does exist in Ireland. It is not structural, systemic, or widespread but it's here and when combined with pockets of economic deprivation and far-right misinformation spread by social media, the result has been some ugly incidents of arson, intimidation, and lawlessness. Anti-immigrant sentiment is far outweighed by the voices of inclusion, but bad actors have an outsized impact.

A special riot police force has been formed in Dublin to confront far-right agitation but the long-term solution to these problems is not complicated.  Just as building world class athletic programs requires sustained investment and hard work, so, too, with nation building.  Ireland needs to continue to invest in itself, and in all of her people with the confidence and pace to build an Ireland for 10 million by mid-century.  Ireland is not “full,” as the far-right claims.  In fact, the island is one of the least densely populated countries in Europe, still far below pre-famine levels. Ireland’s leaders need to not only love Ireland but also to believe in Ireland and invest in it.

One of the brightest stars of the Irish Olympic team is Rhasidat Adeleke. Born in Tallaght, Co. Dublin, to Yoruba parents from Western Nigeria, Adeleke has become a symbol of the new, diverse Ireland.  Just 21 years old and at her first Olympics, the 6-foot-tall Adeleke came in 4th in both of her sprint events. She is the first Irish female sprinter to qualify for an Olympic final. Expressing both her disappointment and confidence, she said “I did not come here to participate. I did not come here to make the finals.  I came here to win.”  She has vowed to return to the Olympics in Los Angeles. Reports of crowds glued to TVs in country pubs cheering for Adeleke were almost as inspiring as her impressive performance.

The Irish are not given to boasting that they are “number one” or “exceptional” or “indispensable” to the world.  But they do have a deep pride in being Irish.  In 2024, the signs are everywhere that Ireland has taken its place on the world stage and is, in every sense, “a part of it.”