History 1900-1950

  • 1903 First International Cross County Championship between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales held in Hamilton Racecourse in Scotland, March 28th 1903.
  • 1913 The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) founded as a follow up to the Stockholm Olympics of 1912. Great War disrupted sports activity
  • 1914 – 1918 Ireland’s political status changed as a result of the December 1921 Treaty.
  • 1923 A new body, the National Athletic and Cycling Association (NACA) was set up as a result of the merging of the IAAA and CCAI and the Athletics Council of the GAA, which since the turn of the Century had become more preoccupied with fi eld games rather than athletics. Ireland admitted to membership of the IAAF.
  • 1924 Ireland took part as a separate team in the Paris Olympic Games. Tailteann Games held in Ireland 1924, 1928 and 1932. The last of these was not, for a number of reasons, very successful and the idea was then dropped.
  • 1924 Following the escalation of a dispute over an Easter Monday Athletics meeting in Celtic Park, Belfast, a number of Northern Ireland clubs resigned from the NACA and, in July, the Northern Ireland Amateur Athletic, Cycling and Cross Country Association (NIAAA) was formed.
  • 1928 Dr. Pat O’Callaghan won the hammer title at the Amsterdam Olympic Games.
  • 1929 Exhaustive discussions at Crewe failed to resolve the dispute in the North.
  • 1930 The Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) accepted the Northern Ireland section in dispute with the NACA under its jurisdiction. A branch of the AAA was set up in Northern Ireland.
  • 1931 General Eoin O’Duffy became the President of the NACA. Tim Smyth became the fi rst Irishman to win the International Cross Country Championship at Baldoyle Racecourse.
  • 1932 Dr. Pat O’Callaghan (hammer) and Robert Tisdall (400m Hurdles) won Olympic Gold in Los Angeles.
  • 1933 The IAAF Congress in Stockholm adopted an amendment to its constitution which defined members as political entities. Prior to this membership eligibility had not been defined.
  • 1934 The NACA decided at a Special Congress not to accept the IAAF Ruling in respect of Ireland.
  • 1935 This position was confi rmed at the Annual Congress in February. This was followed by suspension from the IAAF.
  • 1936 Ireland was not represented at the Berlin Olympic Games.
  • 1937 A number of clubs seceded from the NACA and set up the Irish Amateur Athletic Union (IAAU) at a Meeting in Moran’s Hotel, Dublin on April 22nd
  • 1937. It was based on the acceptance of the IAAF ruling.
  • 1938 IAAU elected to full membership of IAAF. NACA suspension was now made permanent. The Second World War disrupted International Sport 1939 – 1945.
  • 1945 Delegates from the IAAU (now called Amateur Athletic Union of Eire AAUE) and the NIAAA met in Dublin and set up the Irish Amateur Athletic Board to organise All Ireland Championships and All Ireland Teams in the International Cross Country Championships as well as friendly international matches.
  • 1946 Attempts to settle the dispute now involving three distinctive parties in Ireland failed. 1948 Ireland represented by AAUE Athletics in London Olympic Games.

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