Anthony Byrne (6 July 1930 – 27 April 2013), commonly known as Tony Byrne or Socks Byrne, was an amateur

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. Byrne won a bronze medal for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

division.

Early life and career

Byrne was born in

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

. Doubt had been cast over whether Byrne would have the funds to travel to Melbourne to participate in the 1956 Olympics. However, a fundraising campaign under the banner of "Send Byrne to Melbourne" was created, and it raised £653 from local businesses in Drogheda to send him on his quest for glory down under.

Melbourne Olympics

Byrne carried the flag for Ireland at the opening ceremony and was the captain of the Irish boxing team. He beat opponents from

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

and

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

before losing in the semifinal on a split decision to

Harry Kurschat Harry Kurschat (3 November 1930 – 21 January 2022) was a German boxer who competed in the lightweight division during his career as an amateur for West Germany. He was born and died in Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. A few months later, he showed what might have been when he beat the eventual Gold Medallist, Dick McTaggart, in an Ireland-England International at the Royal Albert Hall.

Olympic results

*1st round bye *Defeated

Josef Chovanec Josef Chovanec (born 1935) is a Czechoslovak boxer. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport even ...

(Czechoslovakia) points *Defeated Luis Molina (United States) points *Lost to

(United Team of Germany) points

Life after boxing

In 1962, Byrne, and his wife Honor, emigrated to Canada. The Byrne's settled in Canada and have a family of two girls and a set of twin boys. In 2006 a statue of Byrne was unveiled in his hometown. He died on 27 April 2013, aged 82.

References

External links