100 Years of the Games: Ireland’s journey

Installed in the CCI’s courtyard for Paris 2024, this new exhibition is commissioned in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in Paris to mark the centenary of Ireland’s entry onto the sporting stage as an independent nation. The 1924 Paris Olympics was indeed the first time that Ireland was permitted to compete as a separate country, two years after the creation of an Irish Free State. Researched and presented by historian Mark Duncan, this fascinating insight into the interaction of sports with international issues such as politics, commerce, race and identity, frames Ireland’s particular Olympic and Paralympic journey. A tale of prejudice and progress, failure and triumph, it highlights the arduous task of winning sporting rights for women athletes and those with physical disabilities, while celebrating the extraordinary showcase the Games are for the best of sporting endeavour and the human spirit.

This exhibition is complemented by an online version, available here.