Martin Sheridan was born in Bohola on March 28th,
1881, the youngest of six children. In 1899 he left for America.
In 1901 he won the discus event in New York and established a world
record in this event in 1902. In 1904 he won his first Olympic medal.
The King of Greece presented him with a golden goblet and a statute
of Sheridan was erected which now stands replendant under the Athanean
skies. In 1909 he was near the end of a brilliant career which saw
him win 9 Olympic medals -5 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze -and he
set 16 world records. At this time he visited home and 20 coaches
left Bohola to see him give an exhibition in Ballina in the discus
and pole vault.
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He gave the pole to his cousin, Pat Clarke, to keep. It has been
in Clarke's Pub, Bohola, every since. When his Olympic days were over
he won new laurels for himself in the New York Police Department.
Several sports writers called him the greatest all-round performer
of all time. In the Spring of 1918 he filled in for a police colleague,
who was sick, and as a result Martin contacted pneumonia and died,
he was 37 years old. On May 28th, 1966, a memorial was unveiled in
the village of Bohola to Martin Sheridan. He was surely Ireland's
greatest Olympian. Many ofhis trophies and medals are on display in
The O'Dwyer Cheshire Home, Bohola.
By Peter Filan
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