Receiving the trophy from Dublin Lord Mayor Andrew Clarkin after victory in the Hercules Cup in the Phoenix Park in 1952 (Photo with thanks to Brendan Culleton)
The death has been announced of former Irish international road race rider Donal O’Connell.
A Dubliner, Donal not only made his mark on the road racing scene in his prime in the 1950s but was also a key figure in the Dublin Wheelers, a club he would always be synonymous with.
Donal also worked tirelessly for the Irish Veterans’ Cycling Association (IVCA) and was its key figure, as general secretary, for 30 years until he scaled back his involvement in 2013.
A relative late comer to cycling, Donal joined the Dublin Wheelers in 1948, aged 20 years, and was a member of the club for the rest of his life.
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He met his wife, Lily, through the club and raced from 1948 until 1956 and again for about 10 years in the IVCA from 1988.
A gentleman and cycling man to the bone; Donal O'Connell who has died after an illness (Photo with thanks to Brendan Culleton)
Less than five years after throwing his leg over the crossbar of a bike to race, Donal represented his country during the Isle of Man week in 1952 and also at the World Championships in Luxembourg, where he finished the race in the main field.
In the Isle of Man that year club mate Shay Elliott won the one-lap Mannin Veg and Noel Tully won the two-lap Viking Trophy.
Donal was 9th in the three-lad ‘International’ event and was unlucky not to do better when a four man move he pulled clear with on the final lap was caught late in the race by a 12-strong chasing group.
He came back to Dublin from the Isle of Man and that weekend won the Hercules Cup in the Phoenix Park; a huge race on the domestic scene at the time watched by a crowd numbering many thousands.
In 1952 he also won an Olympic trial race but no Irish team was sent to the Games and the following year Donal became CRE National Road Race Champion.
That 200km race, over 5½ hours, took the field from Dublin, through Mullingar, Kilbeggan, Tullamore, Edenderry, Enfield, and the Strawberry Beds before finishing back at the Phoenix Park.
Just behind Donal was Elliott in the silver medal position, with Jim McQuaid rounding out the podium.
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Taking victory solo in the early 1950s after coming to racing at the ripe old age of 20 years (Photo with thanks to Brendan Culleton)
He also held a number of place-to-place records including Dublin-Kilkenny-Dublin (6h.53m); Dublin-Derry (7h.09m) and Dublin-Wexford (3h.58m).
After his competitive career, Donal was road race secretary of the Irish Cycling Federation in 1972,`73 and`74 and TT secretary in 1977.
He participated in the Irish Cycling Tripartite committee which was comprised of the ICF, NICF and NCA officials to control cycling prior to the establishment of the unifying Federation of Irish Cyclists.
He was subsequently chairman of the FIC disciplinary committee and also secretary of its sporting committee for two years.
Donal was also involved in the judging of and timekeeping at some of Ireland's major international races at that time including the Tour of Ireland, the Rás Tailteann and the Nissan Classic, and was on the organising committee of the Tour of Ireland from 1968 to 1980.
Donal took to racing from his very first days in the bunch, but the bike remained his lifestyle long after he had hung up his racing wheels (Photo with thanks to Brendan Culleton)
He was also an ICF delegate on the Olympic Council of Ireland; taking him to the UCI congress in Montreal in 1974.
He was a qualified masseur with a diploma from the Swedish School of Physical Culture taken in 1979; a very progressive feather in his cap at the time.
He travelled with Irish teams to Europe on many occasions as well as Malaysia and Japan.
Donal passed away peacefully on Tuesday in Our Lady’s Hospice, Harold’s Cross, Dublin. Married to Lily, they had five children; Anne, Maureen, Donal and the late Brendan and Shane.
Funeral details
Reposing at Our Lady’s Hospice Mortuary Chapel from 6pm on Thursday evening – January 28th - prior to his removal on Friday evening – January 29th - to the Church of the Holy Spirit, Greenhills arriving at 5.30pm.
Funeral on Saturday morning – January 30th - after 10am Mass to Palmerstown Cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to Our Lady’s Hospice, Harold’s Cross.
For more details please follow this link.
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