Dublin-born John McCann scored Ireland’s only goal in the 8-1 defeat by Roehampton in the 1908 Olympic final. There was no third place play-off so Ireland shared the silver medal with Hurlingham. McCann was one of the two civilians in the Ireland team and, a 7-goal handicap player, was regarded as one of Irish polo’s iconic figures. McCann played his club polo with Hillbrook, for Meath and Dublin in the Irish County Championships and for the All-Ireland Polo Club in the All-Ireland Championships. He was still playing nearly 30 years after appearing in the Olympics and regularly played for Ireland in the annual match against England for the Patriotic Cup. He had a long association with a pony called Jack on whom he had great success.
Great Britain
Ireland