Poet, Madman, Scoundrel by David Slattery

Author:David Slattery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orpen Press
Published: 2012-10-17T04:00:00+00:00

The East German Example

Historically, it appears that more Irish women partook in warfare than in sport.92 It seems that women would rather fight than take exercise. It is widely believed, at least by me, that the East German post-Second World War sporting authorities dealt with the reluctance of their women to participate in track and field by getting the men to pretend that they were women and compete in the ladies Olympic events.93 From years of sociological studies we now know that an ability to bore is fairly evenly distributed across the genders. It was an important landmark in the history of Irish women’s struggle for equality that they were allowed to be as boring as men in whatever field they liked. This is essentially why they had to be given access to the world of golf. But there will always be a few golf clubs that resist letting them in. How boring is that? Golf has attracted its share of boring women. Rhona Adair (1878–1961) was one such. Adair, like many Irish children, was a golf orphan, having been born into a household of golfers. Her father was a founding member of the Golfing Union of Ireland.

If you believe golf is boring, then you will think Adair was really boring because she began playing golf when she was eight. She became an amateur international player so her home was stuffed with useless prizes. She even played “Old” Tom Morris in a challenge match at St Andrews in Scotland in 1899, losing by just one hole. Morris, who was the pioneer of professional golf, was actually born in St Andrews, maybe even in a golf course bunker. In 1900 Adair won the long-driving contest (173 yards) at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s Ladies Open. The year 1903 was Adair’s last competitive one. Inevitably, she became lady captain at Royal Portrush Club in Co. Antrim.

Mabel Cahill (1863–c.1905), from Kilkenny, moved to New York in 1889. She must have been able to play tennis because by 1890 she entered the US Open Tennis Championships. Ellen Roosevelt, sister of the future President Franklin D., knocked her out. The following year she was back. She beat Grace Roosevelt on the way to the final, in which she beat Grace’s sister Ellen to become the only Irish woman ever to win the US Open. She was praised for her “manly style”, which has to make you wonder if we Irish were ahead of the East Germans. Along with Emma Leavitt Morgan, she also won the manly ladies doubles against the Roosevelt sisters that year.

In 1892 she successfully defended her singles title, beating sixteen-year-old Bessie Moore in five sets. Women used to play five sets back then. I suppose no modern woman could grunt her way through a full five sets and no contemporary audience endure the racket. She defended her doubles title with Adeline McKinley, and won the national mixed doubles title with Clarence Hobart. She was the first player to win all three titles in the same year.

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