John O'Donnell

John O’Donnell was one of the Republic of Ireland athletes selected for the 1948 Olympics but not allowed to compete because of the politics involving the National Athletic and Cyclists’ Association of Ireland (NACAI), IAAF, and IOC that existed at the time. The NACAI were suspended by the IAAF and, as such, were not recognised by the IOC. Despite returning the NACAI’s application form for O’Donnell for the London Games, the IOC embarrassingly included his name on the list of entrants in heat five of the 100 metres!

O’Donnell went to the 1948 Olympics as the Irish 220 yards (NACAI) champion after breaking Joe Eustace’s 18-year-old record. O’Donnell won three other Irish titles, all at 60 yards, in 1947-48, and 1951. A member of the Celtic Athletic Club in Dublin, O’Donnell then joined St. James’s Gate after starting work at the Guinness factory. He was also a top hurler and played for Dublin and Leinster. O’Donnell’s daughter Liz was a noted Irish politician and government minister who played a role in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to most of the troubles in Northern Ireland.