Review of "The Irish Whales"

This was certainly the first book that I have read about these particular events in the Olympics, especially about the now-discontinued 56-pound weight throw.  No, despite the name, this is not about whaling, but instead about some terrific athletes who represented the United States in the early 20th century.  Here is my review of "The Irish Whales."

Title/Author:

“The Irish Whales: Olympians of Old New York" by Kevin Martin

Tags:

Summer Olympics, track, hammer throw, discus, history

Publish date:

September 1, 2020

Length:

238 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Some of the most successful American athletes in some of the early modern Olympic games were immigrants from Ireland, either first or second generation.  These men all competed in track and field events such as the hammer throw, the discus throw and the now-discontinued 56-pound weight throw. The stories of these men and their histories are told in this well researched and informative book by Kevin Martin.

To give a complete background of the athletes, the book starts by describing the conditions that Irish immigrants faced in the latter part of the 19^th century in the United States. Having just left their homeland due to a famine, these immigrants often lived in abject poverty, taking menial jobs and enduring discrimination.  It is against this backdrop that these athletes rose above these conditions to excel at their sport. The Irish Whales, as they were called, got the moniker from their large size which was certainly a factor in the success they enjoyed.

While the first of the Irish Whales, Jim Mitchell, did not win medals at any Olympics as his legacy of success took place before the advent of the modern Olympics, he is credited as probably being the best of the Whales, with complete dominance of his events from 1891-1896.  Following him, there was John Flanagan, who today remains the only athlete to win a gold medal in three consecutive Olympic games for the same event as he took the gold in the hammer throw in 1904, 1908, and 1912.  These three Olympic games is where he and the other Irish Whales enjoyed their greatest success.

It should also be noted that there is good material in the book about the trials and tribulations of these early Games, especially the poor organization of those who ran the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis.  This is very interesting information and while it reads a bit slow at times (as does the history of the Irish immigration wave), it is an important part of the overall story of these athletic heroes to both America and Ireland.  Thiers is a story that needs to be told in order to prevent it from being forgotten.  

I wish to thank Rowman and Littlefield Publishers for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Whales-Olympians-Old-York/dp/1538142309/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1607962604&sr=1-1