Pat Nally
Encyclopedia
Patrick William Nally (March 1857 – November 1891) was a former member of the Supreme Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
and well known Connacht
athlete from Balla
, County Mayo
. It was Nally who suggested to Michael Cusack
the idea for what would become the Gaelic Athletic Association
. In 1881, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Mountjoy Jail, Dublin, for what became known as the 'Crossmolina Conspiracy' where he was subjected to harsh treatment. Nally died in prison in November 1891, and the resultant Nally G. A. A. Club in Dublin would be closely associated with working class Fenians in the 1890s.
, and by the late 1870s was a leading organiser of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
. He was also present at the founding meeting in August 1879, of the Land League of Mayo, later becoming the Land League. Nally was elected a joint secretary. By 1880, Nally had become a member of the IRB's Supreme Council.
In 1879, Michael Cusack
met Nally, who had in 1877 attempted to start a nationalist athletics association but it never got off the ground. Cusack found that Nally's views on the influence of British landlordism on Irish athletics were the same as his. Cusack would recall how both Nally and himself while walking through the Phoenix Park
in Dublin seeing only a handful of people playing sports in the park so depressed them that they agreeded it was time to "make an effort to preserve the physical strength of our race." Nally organised a National Athletics Sports meeting in County Mayo in September 1879 which was a success, with Cusack organising a similar event which was open to 'artisans' in Dublin the following April.
Nally as a member of the Irish Fenian movement, was rumoured to have ultimately been the cause of the end of his athletics career, as he was believed to have gone on the run to avoid arrest by the British authorities.
Nally was captured by the British in 1882, and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for plotting the murder of land agents.
Pat Nally died in Mountjoy Prison
on 9 November 1891.
is named after Nally, and is unique for being the only stand in the stadium named after a person who had no connection to the Gaelic Athletic Association
.
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
and well known Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
athlete from Balla
Balla
Balla is a village in County Mayo, Ireland on the N60 National secondary road, the main road between Castlebar and Claremorris. The economy of the village survives mainly on passing trade, from the busy N60 which carries over 7,000 vehicles through the village every day. The village is to be...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. It was Nally who suggested to Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
the idea for what would become the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
. In 1881, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Mountjoy Jail, Dublin, for what became known as the 'Crossmolina Conspiracy' where he was subjected to harsh treatment. Nally died in prison in November 1891, and the resultant Nally G. A. A. Club in Dublin would be closely associated with working class Fenians in the 1890s.
Irish Republican Brotherhood
Nally was the eldest son and one of six brothers, of a prosperous farmer of 'advanced' nationalist views. Nally from an early age had been a FenianFenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
, and by the late 1870s was a leading organiser of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
. He was also present at the founding meeting in August 1879, of the Land League of Mayo, later becoming the Land League. Nally was elected a joint secretary. By 1880, Nally had become a member of the IRB's Supreme Council.
Sport
Nally became well known in Ireland for organising athletics meetings which were open to all members of the public, where previously athletics meetings had been limited to entrants from the Protestant Ascendancy (the ruling classes).In 1879, Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
met Nally, who had in 1877 attempted to start a nationalist athletics association but it never got off the ground. Cusack found that Nally's views on the influence of British landlordism on Irish athletics were the same as his. Cusack would recall how both Nally and himself while walking through the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
in Dublin seeing only a handful of people playing sports in the park so depressed them that they agreeded it was time to "make an effort to preserve the physical strength of our race." Nally organised a National Athletics Sports meeting in County Mayo in September 1879 which was a success, with Cusack organising a similar event which was open to 'artisans' in Dublin the following April.
Nally as a member of the Irish Fenian movement, was rumoured to have ultimately been the cause of the end of his athletics career, as he was believed to have gone on the run to avoid arrest by the British authorities.
Nally was captured by the British in 1882, and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for plotting the murder of land agents.
Pat Nally died in Mountjoy Prison
Mountjoy Prison
Mountjoy Prison , founded as Mountjoy Gaol, nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security prison located in Phibsboro in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. It has the largest prison population in Ireland.The current prison governor is Mr...
on 9 November 1891.
Legacy
One of the stands in Croke ParkCroke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
is named after Nally, and is unique for being the only stand in the stadium named after a person who had no connection to the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
.