Inside Track: Maeve Kyle was Ireland’s first female Olympian

Those old enough to remember Ronnie Delany winning the 1,500m at the 1956 Olympics, will have heard of Maeve Kyle, who died last week just four years short of her 100th birthday.

Delany’s performance was the outstanding feature of the Melbourne Games, giving Ireland its first gold in over two decades. A splendid back-up came from the boxers, Fred Tiedt winning silver, and Freddie Gilroy, John Caldwell (both Belfast) and Drogheda’s Tony ‘Socks’ Byrne taking bronze.

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Maeve Kyle didn’t get among the medal winners, but even before lining up for a heat of the 100m, she was a history-maker, the first woman to represent Ireland in a track and field event at the Games

Born in Urlingford, but living for a time in Kilkenny city, she first took up hockey, not camogie, but maybe still influenced by all the hurling going on around her. She went on to win 48 caps for her country, many of them after she had re-located to Belfast.

Kyle often spoke of the trip to Australia for the first of her three Olympics. It took over six weeks by boat, and for some reason she had to pay £200 towards her fare.

Women’s involvement in sport in Ireland at the time was fairly confined. There was hockey, camogie, golf and athletics, to name some, but little soccer and no Gaelic football.

It was in one of the practised games that Louth had its first female star. Born only yards from the Baltray course, Philomena Garvey was the leading golfer on these islands, winning numerous Irish and British titles, and featuring on the Curtis Cup – the ladies’ equivalent of the Ryder Cup – on many occasions.

Garvey was a winner, Kyle a pioneer, but also with many successes to her credit.