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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Gold medalist Katie Taylor is the hero that Ireland desperately needed -- After dreadful times, at last a ray of sunshine breaks through at the Olympics

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Gold medalist Katie Taylor is the hero that Ireland desperately needed -- After dreadful times, at last a ray of sunshine breaks through at the Olympics

Posted on Friday, August 10, 2012 at 08:13 AM

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Katie Taylor after her victory on Thursday

The Irish have suffered a few dreadful years, turning from Europe’s poster children, to goats.

All the old familiar devils are back; mass unemployment, rampant emigration, bankers greed, made worse now in some ways, because for a few brief shining years the country saw what it could become.

So heads are down and depression rampant and dreams are dying everywhere you look. Gloom, deep and dark, reigns

Then another hero comes along.

Katie Taylor is an unlikely one. Daughter of an English father, an evangelical Protestant who prays and gives praise before and after every fight, she is hardly the archetypal hero we have come to expect from the Emerald Isle.

But yesterday she broke all the stereotypes.

Before an audience that included Kate Middleton and thousands of Irish fans singing their hearts out, she won Ireland’s first gold medal of these games and the first since Michelle Smith’s highly dubious swimming haul in 1996 in Atlanta.

Ireland has only won eight gold medals in the history of the Olympics. Taylor won one of the first Olympic boxing medals for women and in the process stamped herself as one of the heroes of the games.

A Cinderella sport so long ignored by the International Olympic Committee at last found its day in the sun -- and a heroine to go along with it .

Don’t just take the Irish word for it. Here is what Sports Illustrated said.

“Looking for the most popular athlete at the Olympics? Any list has to include Taylor. Katie Taylor might be the most popular athlete in any sport at the London Olympics,” the magazine’s website reported on Thursday.

And here is what the London-based Guardian said after her victory

“Katie Taylor is a giant of Irish boxing, European, World, and now Olympic champion – a showman and a folk heroine.

“Everything she does gets a roar, whether it's hugging her coach – who doubles as her father – or grinning at the camera. She has very easy manners, a look of genuine affection when she makes her peace with her opponent at the end of each fight; if there is one Olympic athlete you'd go to the pub with (apart from Bradley Wiggins), it would be Taylor. “

When the Irish anthem was played for the first time in 16 years at the Olympics at the London venue there was not a dry eye in the house or in Ireland or among those abroad watching.

The sun came out for Ireland yesterday, after a lousy spell, and a modest 26-year old girl from Bray, County Wicklow became an unlikely hero.

In the process she lifted Irish hearts back where they belonged.

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Happyhippo | Aug 12, 2012, 06:51 PM EDT

Lets not forget Deirdre Gogarty who emigrated to US because women's boxing was illegal in Ireland at the time and who was world featherweight champion back in the 90s she lives in Lafayette Louisiana my favorite state from my interest in Cajun music,check out the Ragin Cajun Boxing Club in Lafayette,be nice to see Queen Katie visit.

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seanomelb | Aug 11, 2012, 07:21 PM EDT

Well done Katie. But IrelandNorth is correct. The pursuit of pugilism is hardly a sport.

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Happyhippo | Aug 11, 2012, 02:26 PM EDT

Negative people give off negative comment,well done Queen Katie,if one of your parents was from the other side of the moon,if you want to call on the almighty even when he's busy trying to answer our prayers, that's ok with us too,you did your family and your country proud,that,s why Ireland is in love with a 26 year old 60kg girl with a winning smile.

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IrelandNorth | Aug 11, 2012, 05:46 AM EDT

Let's get things in chronological order. Katie Taylor's mother is Irish. Her father is English. They all worship at St Marks Gospel Hall on Pearse St in south central Dublin every Sunday. She always competes for Team Ireland, as at the London Olympics, as do a couple of other medal winners from Belfast. Although a committed, determined and highly personable lassie, one has to question the ethics and morality of competition, and of concussing opponents - for Jesus(?) Saw a chap on Dublin bus during the week with a black and amber (Kilkennysque) top, emblazoned on back of which was - "St Saviour's Olympic Boxing Academy". Belfast lads competing for Team Ireland are members of Dom Bosco Boxing Club. To my certain recollection, the canonical (or Gnostic!) gospels make no reference to Jesus punching any adversaries, though few would have though less of Him had He done so - not least the "wiley old fox" himself (Herod). These martial artists are honourable people. But their inestimable talents would be better sublimated into more cooperative and less destructive pursuits. Anyone know how the Russian girl is doing? Hmmm! Didn't think so!

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Silling | Aug 11, 2012, 02:12 AM EDT

Grace O'Malley represented the Green, Lady Lavery the White and now, finally, we have Katie Taylor for the Gold. A trilogy of colourful females to give us health and wealth and hope, My dark Rosaleen my own Rosaleen.

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sirpeter | Aug 10, 2012, 10:04 PM EDT

"So heads are down and depression rampant and dreams are dying everywhere you look.Gloom,deep and dark,reigns"Jasus Neill I had to Google that to see where those depths came from.I thought you might have stolen them from Sleeping Beauty.But I found it's all your own shadow land words from within...Gloom,deep and dark,reigns..I love that..But I'd dump the Commas...Gloom deep and dark reigns is more poetic in my opinion.

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seanomelb | Aug 10, 2012, 06:25 PM EDT

You're correct Eamonn Niall's piece is a little overdone yet he is congratulatory and proud of the win. I see the "sour grapes gang" cannot help themselves in diminishing her great win. Well done Katie.

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audreybolton | Aug 10, 2012, 05:42 PM EDT

Peter Taylor is from Leeds in England and was definitely not a farmer but an electrician. He met Katie's mother Brigid who is a boxing referee at the Dug-in nightclub in Bray while on holidays. Bray is my hometown and the people there are extremely nice and supportive of each other. My sister met her husband (also English)in the Dug-in owned by the Duggan family who were friends of my family/ Btw Katie is a member of the Pentecostal Church.

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WoundedKnee | Aug 10, 2012, 03:49 PM EDT

I think the Hoopla for Ms Taylor is getting a little overdone. The Irish always go too far in these cases. Still, there's a nice tribute video made by Irish language students. Google: Croílár na Féile and you'll find it.

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EamonnDublin | Aug 10, 2012, 02:14 PM EDT

Yes, Congratulations Katie Taylor!!! But, typical of some journalists, Niall O'Dowd spins an easy yarn to embroider a story. We Irish are very far removed from being "down, with depression rampant and dreams dying everywhere you look". And "Gloom, deep and dark" certainly does NOT reign. We still have our huge pride in our Irishness, we still have our sense of humour, we still have our ability to distinguish wealth from true happiness (although a bit of wealth helps), we still have the capacity to keep the head down and work hard - in the certain knowledge that we'll get there in the end. Also, we still have the ability to distinguish BS from fair commentary - and, Mr. O'Dowd, you were KO'd for BS in Round 1. A little advice - when you are dreaming up your next opinion piece, you might consider the thousands and thousands of extremely strong and brave Irish women who pulled their families through very torrid times down the years, without any recognition whatsoever. Three cheers for Katie Taylor. Three cheers for Mná na hÉireann. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.

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jedswims | Aug 10, 2012, 12:06 PM EDT

congratulations Katie!!! Truely fighting irish

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acmelvin | Aug 10, 2012, 11:30 AM EDT

She's a credit to both of her parents and a gracious GOLD medal winner..has done the country proud and no doubt will do so again .

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Mayolady | Aug 10, 2012, 11:20 AM EDT

Why do they say she is the daughter of an "English" farmer? Isn't Taylor an Irish name too? And the Brittish citizen named Ennis who won gold for winning a race--She was Irish once--in her past. Did no one in Ireland or the press ask about that?

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Fergananim | Aug 10, 2012, 11:11 AM EDT

"Katie Taylor is an unlikely one. Daughter of an English father, an evangelical Protestant who prays and gives praise before and after every fight, she is hardly the archetypal hero we have come to expect from the Emerald Isle." Then your view of Ireland and the Irish is way out of date.

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crowsnest | Aug 10, 2012, 10:58 AM EDT

What do I think? " Daughter of an English father, an evangelical Protestant..." For heaven sake name the MOTHER!!!!

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