Did you know an Irish athlete at the 1906 Olympic Games in Athens committed a brave act of defiance against British rule on the world stage. Peter O’Connor was born in England in 1872 to Irish parents but raised in Ashford Wicklow. He was a solicitor by profession and a proud member of the Gaelic Athletic Association since its earliest days.O’Connor held the world record for the long jump from 1901 to 1921, an extraordinary 20-year reign. He won All-Ireland titles with ease and refused to compete under a British flag at the 1900 Olympics. When the 1906 Intercalated Games rolled around, considered official at the time, O’Connor along with fellow Irish athletes Con Leahy and John Daly, were put forward by the Irish Amateur Athletic Association and the GAA. They arrived in Greece dressed in green blazers, shamrock-emblazoned caps, and carrying with them the old “Erin Go Bragh” flag, a golden harp on a field of green. Ireland had no Olympic Council, however, and due to a technicality, the athletes were classified as representing Great Britain. To the British Olympic Council, the matter was settled. They were to be classified under the Union Jack . O’Connor had dominated his British athletic rivals for a decade and was considered a favourite for gold. But the long jump event was marred from the outset. The sole judge appointed was Matthew Halpin, the American team manager. Protests of bias were ignored. At the end, Halpin declared his own man, Myer Prinstein, the winner. O’Connor was awarded silver. And then came the insult that lit the spark, the British flag (aka the Butchers Apron) was raised for his medal ceremony. That’s when Peter O’Connor made history. Using the same legs that had carried him to global athletic dominance, he leapt toward the flagpole, climbed it, and tore down the Union Jack. In front of a stunned international audience he hoisted the green flag of Ireland, Erin Go Bragh, high above the stadium. His teammates stood guard below, holding off officials. It was one of the first overt political protests in modern Olympic history. O’Connor later won gold in the triple jump beating his own friend and fellow Irishman, Con Leahy. He didn’t repeat the flag stunt, but he didn’t have to. Though the 1906 Games were later stripped of their official Olympic status, O’Connor’s protest lives on as a folk tale of resistance. He never competed in the Olympics again, instead turning his attention to his law firm, Peter O’Connor and Sons, which still operates in Waterford and Dublin.

Posted by Fred Bassett