07/30/2024
On this day in 1928, Pat O’ Callaghan won Ireland’s first Gold medal at the Olympic Games which were held in Amsterdam that year. He was born in Kanturk but spent most of his life living in Clonmel where he worked as a doctor and was fondly known as ‘Doc O‘ Callaghan’.
O’ Callaghan won the Gold Medal in the hammer throw where with his penultimate attempt he threw 168ft 7in (51.38m) to win by 10cm (4in). Ossian Skiöld of Sweden won the Silver medal and Ed Black of the USA won Bronze.
The first athlete representing an independent Ireland to be crowned Olympic champion, he declared ‘the world has been shown that Ireland has a flag, that Ireland has a national anthem, and, in fact, we have a nationality’ (Irish Examiner, 1 Aug. 2018).
Made a freeman of Clonmel in 1984, he was revered locally as a humble, jovial man, known for his kindness to his poorer patients. In 1960 he was the first person voted into the Texaco Hall of Fame. He managed the Clonmel Commericals senior Gaelic football team to three county championships (1965–7), later becoming the club’s chairman and honorary president.
He died on 1 December 1991 and is buried in Powerstown cemetery, Clonmel.
