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Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Big Fight: Muhammad Ali vs. Al “Blue” Lewis in Croke Park July 1972

The Big Fight: Muhammad Ali vs. Al “Blue” Lewis in Croke Park July 1972, a photo by infomatique on Flickr.

On July 19, 1972, it took Muhammad Ali 11 rounds to defeat Al 'Blue' Lewis at Croke Park, Dublin. A mere footnote in the larger Ali story, this fight against a game ex-convict from Detroit marked the culmination of an extraordinary week in Ireland's sporting and cultural history. From the moment the world's most charismatic athlete touched down at Dublin Airport and announced his maternal great-grandfather Abe Grady had emigrated from County Clare more than a century before, the country was in his thrall and, of course, being Ali - he loved it. It was to be a most extraordinary week for both him and the people he met. Ali was both charming and charmed by those who came to pay homage - among them, the then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, civil rights campaigner Bernadette Devlin, oscar-winning director John Huston, actor Peter O'Toole and an old lady who invited him into her house for a cup of tea.

Dublin City North As View From Croke Park

Dublin City North As View From Croke Park, a photo by infomatique on Flickr.

This is the first time that I have had an opportunity to take photographs from the stands at Croke Park.

Croke Park is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland. Often called Croker by Dubliners, it serves both as the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).

Since 1884 the site has been used primarily by the GAA to host Gaelic games, most notably the annual All-Ireland finals in football and hurling. Both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2003 Special Olympics, as well as numerous music concerts by major international acts, have been held in the stadium.

During the construction of the Aviva Stadium, Croke Park hosted games played by Ireland's national teams in the sports of rugby union and soccer.

In June 2012, the stadium was used to host the closing ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress during which Pope Benedict XVI gave an address to approximately eighty thousand people.

Following a redevelopment programme started in the 1990s, Croke Park has a capacity of 82,300,making it the fourth largest stadium in Europe.