- Paperback: 300 pages
- Publisher: The Liffey Press (1 Jun 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1904148522
- ISBN-13: 978-1904148524
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.6 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,464,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The King of Spring tells the remarkable story of one of Ireland's greatest yet neglected sporting heroes, Peter O'Connor, Olympic gold medallist, world record holder and Irish nationalist. Born into a fairly typical, post-famine Irish catholic family in the 1870s, O'Connor leapt from obscurity to celebrity in 1901, enthralling the world with his jumping prowess. His world record long jump in 1901 stood for 20 years, and his Irish record remained intact for nearly 90 years. This book brings to life a forgotten era of Irish athletic achievement and provides a fascinating social commentary of the life of a young man of ambition in the early years of the twentieth century. It also describes the frustration of many Irish nationalist athletes of the time who had to compete for Britain on the international stage. This frustration boiled over for Peter O'Connor when, after winning the Silver Medal in the Athens Games in 1906, he climbed the flagpole to unveil a large green Irish flag with Erin go Bragh written on it, much to the consternation of the authorities. Indeed, it was the first overt political act in the modern day Olympics. Though O'Connor is chiefly remembered for his sporting triumphs, his private life and lengthy legal career were no less remarkable. A Wicklowman of modest means, O'Connor began his working life as a clerk, with few prospects, but against the odds he scaled the social ladder to become one of Waterford's leading solicitors and Vice-President of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland. Driven by an unquenchable drive and self-belief, O'Connor's life was marked by a constant struggle to shape his own destiny in uncertain times. The King of Spring tells the extraordinary story of one of Ireland's true sporting heroes.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Very happy with product although took a little longer than estimated date of arrival. Would do business again with this seller.
Format:Paperback
Mark Quinn's critically acclaimed Masterpiece took him years to finish, from his relentless tracking down of surviving relatives and friends of Irish Running Champion Peter O'Connor to his painstaking researching of events that shaped O'Connor's life.
Quinn brings us from O'Connor's birth, through to his first steps as a runner, his early defeats and lessons through to his later triumphs and to his final days with fluid schandisspitty, keeping the pace up and the pages turning faster than one would have thought possible.
If you are a biography fiend or a sports fan, then this book is for you: an absolute gem that brings back the memory of an unsung Irish Sporting Hero who changed the way sports were played in Ireland forever.
More, please, Mr. Quinn!
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