Paudie Fitzgerald
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Paudie Fitzgerald |
Nickname | Paudi, Paudie |
Born | Lispole, County Kerry, Ireland |
Team information | |
Discipline | Road bicycle racing |
Role | Rider |
Major wins | |
Rás Tailteann (1956) |
Paudie Fitzgerald[1] was an Irish cyclist. He won the Rás Tailteann in 1956.[2] He was also known for a failed attempt to represent Ireland at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Early life[]
Fitzgerald is a native of Lispole.[3]
Career[]
Fitzgerald started his career at grass track racing.
His first big win was a race from Dublin to Galway to Dublin, for which he won a battery for a bicycle light.
Fitzgerald competed in the first Rás, in 1953.[4]
In the 1956 Rás Tailteann, Fitzgerald won two stages and the overall prize.[5]
1956 Olympics[]
Fitzgerald, along with and , attempted to compete for Ireland at the team road race event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. They were chosen by the 32-county National Cycling Association (NCA), which was not internationally recognised (instead, there was Cumann Rothaíochta na hÉireann and the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation). They aimed to "gate-crash" the race, remove Union Jack flags and extinguish the Olympic flame; they succeeded in none of these, but did attract international attention to the NCA's plight.[6]
Later life[]
Fitzgerald retired from cycling in 1957. He ran a hardware shop, Fitzgerald's Homevalue, in Dingle.[7] He was married twice and has seven children; Gaelic footballer Paul Geaney is one of his grandchildren.[citation needed]
He lived in Dingle and was President of Dingle Cycling Club and organised "Ride Dingle" a new Dingle-based cycling race.[8]
Fitzgerald died on 3 December 2020, aged 87.[9]
References[]
- ^ "The great road race robbery (almost)". The Age. 3 December 2006.
- ^ Evans, Tadhg (24 May 2018). "Loved interviewing 1956 Rás Tailteann winner Paudie Fitzgerald for this week's Kerryman". Twitter.
- "PHOTOS: A Glorious Morning For Na Gaeil's Annual Cycle". 22 April 2018.
- Daly, Tom (26 January 2019). "The Rás: The Story of Ireland's Unique Bike Race". Collins Press – via Google Books.
- Muircheartaigh, Micheál (26 January 2019). "From Borroloola to Mangerton Mountain: Travels and Stories from Ireland's Most Beloved Broadcaster". Penguin Ireland – via Google Books. - ^ Fogarty, Weeshie (1 October 2012). "My Beautiful Obsession - Chasing the Kerry Dream". The Collins Press – via Google Books.
- ^ "PAUDIE FITZGERALD INTERVIEW". www.irishcycling.com.
- ^ "Rás Tailteann - 1950's". www.rastailteann.com.
- ^ Tomkins, Shea. "Not all Memories from 1956 Melbourne Olympics are Golden". Ireland's Own.
- Holten, Anthony (1 April 2014). "Of Other Days". Anthony Holten – via Google Books.
- "Terrace Talk :: Interviews :: Paudie Fitzgerald". Terrace Talk.
- "An Olympic tale that deserves re-telling". The Kerryman. Ireland. 23 November 2012. - ^ Master, Web. "Fitzgerald's Homevalue". dingle-peninsula.ie.
- ^ "'Ride Dingle' unveiled – Ride Dingle".
- ^ Mac an tSíthigh, Seán (3 December 2020). "Kerry cycling legend Paudie Fitzgerald dies aged 87". Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- 1930s births
- 2020 deaths
- Irish male cyclists
- Rás Tailteann winners
- Sportspeople from County Kerry