Boxing exhibition packs a punch
By Shelley Marsden
HOLLYWOOD actor (and amateur boxer) Liam Neeson once said: "Watching two great fighters, evenly matched, is, for me, one of the great visual poems you will ever see."
It is this dynamic visual poetry which is depicted with such clarity in The Fighting Irish – An Exhibition of Boxing from 1820 to Present, which started life inNew Yorkand is now heading toLondon.
The exhibition has been awarded the Inspire Mark, an accolade that recognises projects of outstanding cultural import inspired by the London 2012 Games. The Inspire Mark recognises quality projects eligible to become part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, and officially links the exhibition with this year’s Olympic Games.
Assembled inNew Yorkby the Irish Arts Centre, the Fighting Irishmen exhibition has attracted thousands in its three years inBostonandNew York City. It has been exhibited inNorthern Irelandwith the assistance ofNational MuseumsNorthern Ireland, inDublin’sCrokeParkand, most recently,LimerickUniversity.
American curator James J Houlihan said he hopes the exhibition can now repeat its success inLondon. “I really tried to make this all-encompassing. I wanted something inclusive, something that people could understand and identify with. We’ve tried to tell the story of persistence and survival and success through hard work, which is part of the great Irish story.”
While the exhibition features remarkable individual artefacts like Dan Donnelly’s mummified right arm, Fighting Irishmen is more than a disconnected selection of boxing memorabilia. The items have been placed in the greater context of Irish boxing, in theUnited StatesandIreland, and Irish emigration from 1820 to the present day.
Author and boxing historian Mike Silver said of the exhibition: "Boxing history would be much less colourful and interesting without the contribution of the thousands of Irish boxers who have graced the sport. 'The Fighting Irishmen: A Celebration of the Celtic Warrior' is a magnificent multi-media exhibit that captures the romance, drama, excitement and pride of an era when the sons ofErinwere kings of the ring."
The story of emigration is told through the victories and defeats, the trophies and knockouts, of boxing’s finest and most famed practitioners. Photographs and storyboards follow boxers like John L Sullivan, Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, while film footage from famous fights shows boxers like James J Corbett, John Caldwell and Barry McGuigan in their prime.
The exhibition will be on show from Monday 5th March at London’s City Hall. For more information see www.fightingirishmen.com
