Irish Schools Athletics Champions 1916-2015 Updated June 15 2015
Irish Schools Athletics Champions 1916-2015 Updated June 15 2015 In February 1916 Irish Amateur Athletic Association (IAAA) circularised the principal schools in Ireland regarding the advisability of holding Schoolboys’ Championships. At the IAAA’s Annual General Meeting held on Monday 3rd April, 1916 in Wynne’s Hotel, Dublin, the Hon. Secretary, H.M. Finlay, referred to the falling off in the number of affiliated clubs due to the number of athletes serving in World War I and the need for efforts to keep the sport alive. Based on responses received from schools, the suggestion to hold Irish Schoolboys’ Championships in May was favourably considered by the AGM and the Race Committee of the IAAA was empowered to implement this project. Within a week a provisional programme for the inaugural athletics meeting to be held at Lansdowne Road on Saturday 20th May, 1916 had been published in newspapers, with 7 events and a relay for Senior and 4 events and a relay for Junior Boys. However, the championships were postponed "due to the rebellion" and were rescheduled to Saturday 23rd September, 1916, at Lansdowne Road. In order not to disappoint pupils who were eligible for the championships on the original date of the meeting, the Race Committee of the IAAA decided that “a bona fide schoolboy is one who has attended at least two classes daily at a recognised primary or secondary school for three months previous to 20 th May, except in case of sickness, and who was not attending any office or business”. The inaugural championships took place in ‘quite fine’ weather.
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