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Biography. He was born on Cape Breton Island, Canada, but moved to New York as a teenager to join his brother. In 1904, Gillis accidentally killed a boy when he was practicing his hammer throw in a vacant lot in Harlem.
Year of Birth 1884. Olympic Results. Biography. Simon Gillis grew up on Cape Breton Island but moved to New York as a teenager to join his brother. Representing CCNY and the NYAC, he was later runner-up in the 1906 AAU hammer throw.
Simon Peter•Gillis: Used name: Simon•Gillis: Born: 6 April 1875 in Inverness, Nova Scotia (CAN) Died: 12 January 1964 in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) Measurements: 185 cm / 109 kg: Affiliations: NYAC, New York (USA) NOC: United States
- Simon Peter•Gillis
- Male
- Competed in Olympic Games
- Simon•Gillis
Simon Peter Gillis, of Gillisdale, a world-class athlete and three-time Olympic hammer thrower, put his Cape Breton community on the map. Born in the Margaree Valley in 1875, Gillis has instilled a sense of pride and admiration amongst those who know his story that endures over a century later.
- John Flanagan
- Simon Gillis
- Pat Mcdonald
- Matthew McGrath
- James Mitchell
- Paddy Ryan
- Martin Sheridan
- Con Walsh
- Conclusion
- References
John J. Flanagan was born in 1873 in Kilbreedy, Co. Limerick. He played inter – provincial hurling for Munster and won Irish and British titles at hammer throwing before moving to New York in 1896. He joined the NYPD and went on to head the world rankings until 1910. Over the course of his career he set seventeen world records and also won the Amer...
Simon Gillis was born in Nova Scotia in 1875. He emigrated to New York and joined the NYPD. Gillis career was interrupted by tragedy and his athletic form was never to recover. In 1904 Gillis accidentally killed a child while practicing his hammer throw on a vacant lot in Harlem. According to the New York Times, ‘just as he had let the 16 pound ham...
Pat McDonnell was born in 1878 in Co. Clare. He emigrated to New York in 1901 where his surname was mistakenly rendered as McDonald at Ellis Island. In 1905 he joined the NYPD. At 6ft 5in and over 300 lbs he earned the ironic nickname ‘Babe’ from his fellow athletes. He started off as a hammer and discus thrower but it wasn’t until he embraced the ...
Matthew McGrath was born in 1875, one of eleven children of a tenant farmer in Nenagh Co. Tipperary. As a youth he was known to walk ten miles to see his sporting hero John Flanagan compete and dreamed of becoming a champion hammer thrower.He emigrated to the United States in 1897 where he worked at a variety of jobs including blacksmith and barman...
James Mitchell was born in 1864 in Bartoose, Co.Tipperary. From 1886 onwards he dominated hammer and weight throwing events inIreland and Britain capturing a host of titles and smashing national records. Mitchell joined the GAA ‘Invasion’ tour of the United States in 1888 during which he won every weight throwing contest he entered and broke most A...
Paddy Ryan was born in 1882 in Pallasgreen, Co. Limerick. He won eleven All – Irelandhammer titles under the auspices of the GAA and the Irish Amateur Athletic Association. In 1910 he emigrated to the United Statesand later joined the NYPD. He did not compete at the 1912 Olympics. During the First World War he joined the US Army and served in Franc...
Martin Sheridan was born in Bohola, Co. Mayo in 1881. Sheridan and two of his brothers emigrated to theUnited Statesin 1897. Sheridanis considered the greatest all – round athlete of his generation and one of the greatest competitors in Olympic history. Sheridanwon a total of nine Olympic medals; One Gold (1904), two gold and three silver (1906) an...
Con was born in Clondrohid, Co.Corkin 1881. He was a member of theCorkteams that lost the 1901 and 1903 All -Ireland football finals. He won the GAA place kicking title in 1901, 1905 and again in 1906, setting a distance record that remains to this day. In 1906 he also captured five titles at the GAA national athletics championship. In 1907 he emig...
The Whales lived the fairy tale for many Irish people of their generation by finding fame and success in theUnited States. Their exploits were a cause of celebration amongst Irish-Americans and their disputes at the 1908 London Olympics delighted separatists inIrelandand Irish communities in theUS. Their sporting achievements for the American Olymp...
Wilcox, Ralph, Irish Americans in Sport – The Nineteenth Century, Casey, Marion R., Lee, Joseph (Ed.s), Making the Irish American (New York, 2006), p. 443. Ibid. McCarthy, Kevin, Gold, Silver and Green (Cork, 2010), p. 83. Shaefer, John, The Irish Athletic Club: Redefining Americanism at the 1908 Olympic Games (New York, 2001) http://www.nyu.edu/li...
Mar 16, 2012 · The villainous looking James Mitchell from Tipperary who was a big weight (56lb) thrower – and Simon Gillis (birthplace unknown) who settled in Nova Scotia and competed for Canada but the...
Simon Gillis was an American track and field athlete, a member of the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. He was one of a group of athletes known as the Irish Whales and frequently kept company with members of the Irish American Athletic Club.
