Drogheda Prepares to Unveil a Statue of Its Favourite Son
Now Clancy was a decent man if you know what I mean
the cops picked up the pieces after Clancy left the scene
He never looked for trouble, that's a fact you can assume
but whenever they got his Irish up, Clancy lowered the boom
oh that Clancy, oh that Clancy, whenever they got his Irish up,
Clancy lowered the boom.
- Irish-American Tenor, Dennis Day
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
EDMONTON - On a recent visit to Alberta, I met with Tony "Socks" Byrne at the Irish Sports and Social Society club in Edmonton to speak with him about his boxing career.
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TONY BYRNE was also the Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Drogheda.
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Having never met the man, I imagined that he might large in stature, like some of the other well-known boxers. I knew that he had won the bronze medal at the Olympics in Australia in 1956, and that he was dynamite in the ring. And also that his middle name "Socks" stands for 'sock it to him.'
But when I met Tony Byrne, he didn't look like a giant but rather an average size Irishman with the map of Ireland written on his face (make that the map of Drogheda, Ireland). He has a ready smile, with a twinkle in his eye and loves to tell a story and reminisce about his boxing years....he's a character! The one thing that does make Tony very serious and proud is when he talks about his home town of Drogheda.
When Tony Byrne was picked in 1955 to go to the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, Ireland was very hard-pressed for money to send a team. Tony explained how the people in Drogheda made his trip possible. "Every man, woman and child in Drogheda collected money," Tony said, "even the pubs threw in money and they collected enough to send two people from Drogheda to the Olympics.
"That's why I'm so proud to be from Drogheda and proud of the people of Drogheda. I went to Australia and won the bronze medal and when I came back home to Drogheda, they gave me a hero's welcome.
"I'm also very proud to say that Ireland was able to send 11 boxers to the Olympics in Australia, and I was the captain of the team This is something that will always stand out in my mind. When you think that other countries were able to send many more boxers but the Irish team won five medals. Half the amount of medals...now that's a record. This was the best Olympic team that Ireland ever sent to the Olympics!"
Felix A. Jones, president of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (I.A.B.A.), described Tony "Socks" Byrne, saying, "Byrne is as good a fighting man as ever appeared in Ireland's colours as an amateur.
"He was an aggressive, two-handed hooker and swinger of lethal durability of his punches. Looking small and sparse for the poundage, with flat-footed stance, he was the surprise packet of his era and dynamite in the ring."
Byrne has a tremendously impressive international record, only losing three bouts out of a total of 29 appearances for Ireland from 1951 to 1957, one of these in questionable circumstances when he retired.
In his career, Byrne fought against a group containing the top lightweights of the world with victories over men like Dick McTaggart, Olympic Champion from Scotland Harry Kurchat; Karlheinz Rauen; and Horst Johnnapeter (Germany); Ken Eaton and Louis Nolina (U.S.A.); Yves Emona, (Canada); and Johnny Kidd (Scotland).
At every Olympics, a boxer is picked as one of the "Most Stylish Boxers" at the Olympics and they are given an Olympic medal. Dick McTaggart received that medal at the Melbourne, Olympics.
On the night of January 30, 1957 in Albert Hall, London, England, "Socks" Byrne floored McTaggart and took the decision on points. It showed how close Byrne came to winning Olympic Gold for Ireland in the Melbourne Olympics.
Speaking about how he became a boxer, Tony said, "When I was growing up in Ireland, jobs and money were scarce and I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. So, at the age of 12, I joined the Tredagh, Boxing Club in Drogheda.
"But at the age of 15, I was able to get a job as a messenger boy and I gave up boxing. When I was 18, I joined the army with the local defense forces and was able to resume my boxing career.
"When I was in the army camp training, the army held boxing championships and some of the fellows edged me on to enter the competition. So, I entered and won the army Featherweight Championship.
"A lieutenant and a captain saw me boxing and thought I was pretty good and they made me join the army Senior Championship, and I won that too.
"Then, when I went back to Drogheda, the Amateur Boxing Association saw what I had done and they entered me in the Junior Championships in Drogheda, and I went Senior the same year.
"This all happened in about four or five months and I won the Senior Championship, while I was the Featherweight Champion. So, I became a star overnight.
"I boxed the next year and won the Lightweight Championship of Ireland. I dropped out of boxing because of a dispute over who should represent the country. I thought I should, because I was the Irish champion, but they picked a Dublin man instead of me and I got thick and quit boxing.
"Then in 1954, I started back boxing and won the Lightweight Championship again and then went on to the Olympics in Australia."
Tony and his wife Honor emigrated to Canada in 1962. They have two twin boys, John and Anthony, and two girls, Ruth and Lisa. "I made a good living for my family in Canada," said Tony, "and I'm able to go back to Ireland every two or three years and I love it.
"A couple of years ago I was invited back to Drogheda to be the Grand Marshal in the St. Patrick's Day parade and they made a big thing of me. I told them, "Drogheda's my hometown, and I always say I'm going home to Drogheda. I never say I'm going home to Canada, even though, I'm 43 years here."
On December 1, it will be 50 years since Tony "Socks" Byrne, won the Olympic Bronze Medal at the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. The town of Drogheda will celebrate this historic occasion by unveiling a special commissioned statue of their favourite son, who brought Olympic honour to their town.
Tony Byrne, along with 16 members of his family (one son coming from New Zealand), will be gathered along with the people of Drogheda in the town square to celebrate the historic unveiling of a statue to Tony "Socks" Byrne.
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