Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A DAUGHTER OF boxing colossus Muhammad Ali has said she was “amazed” by footage of her father’s fight in Croke Park in 1972, contained in an award-winning Irish film.
When Ali Came To Ireland, which will be screened tonight on RTÉ1 at 10.05pm, aired at a Chicago film festival attended by Jamilah Ali this year. Following the screening she said:
I’ve seen so much footage of my father over the years but the amazing thing about watching this film was that I had seen none of the footage of him in Ireland… I loved this film from the beginning to the end.
Ali said she hoped to show a copy of the documentary to her father, who is now 71 and battling Parkinson’s disease.
In the documentary, Ali is shown staging a career comeback, taking on Al ‘Blue’ Lewis at Croke Park. Both men were out to prove a point: Ali had been recently released from prison after he had refused as a conscientious objector, to fight in the Vietnam War. Lewis had just been released on parole after serving time for murder in Detroit and had vowed to use his boxing career as a path to a new life.
The film – which won an IFTA this year – charts the incredible spectacle in Croke Park, Ali’s reaction to the Irish and the Irish public’s reaction to his charismatic presence in town. It also explores how Ali came to fight in Dublin in the first place, in a match organised by a former Kerry strongman called Michael ‘Butty’ Sugrue.
Jamilah Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, with Ross Whitaker, co-director of When Ali Came to Ireland, at a screening in Chicago earlier this year. Image: Docology
Sugrue’s story is also a revelation and Ross Whitaker, who co-directed the film with Aideen O’Sullivan, told TheJournal.ie that as with the experience of Ali’s daughter, Sugrue’s remaining family were moved by seeing Butty on screen.
Whitaker said: “We were amazed when we screened the film in London to find that Butty Sugrue’s granddaughters had never heard their grandfather speak. He had died before they were born and they’d never seen footage of him in which he had spoken.”
This image shows Sugrue and Ali in Dublin ahead of the 1972 match:
Image: The Irish Post/Docology
Following that 1972 encounter, however, the fortunes of the two men – Ali, and the Irishman who had helped him orchestrate the high-profile return fight – diverged. While Ali returned to the ring and further glories before his retirement and gradual decline into ill-health, Sugrue lost a small fortune on the Dublin fight and, after dying in London, was eventually laid to rest in an unmarked grave in his home town of Killorglin, Co Kerry.
Since the doc was first shown on RTÉ on New Year’s Day this year, a local committee in Killorglin has said it will fundraise to erect a memorial to Sugrue at his final resting place.
Video via TrueFilmsTV. Funded by RTÉ.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Slight breeze in Dublin and it’s red alert. Actual storm 1 hour away from Galway and Mayo and last minute warning issued. You’d be forgiven to think that the west doesn’t matter.
@Kieran Campbell: Met Eireann have strict criteria that they follow when issuing any warnings for any location… Stop talking nonsense with your anti Dublin chip on your shoulder.
@Kieran Campbell: That is exactly what is in Dublin right now (9am), a slight breeze…
@Lar Meyler: you are joking. It scared the life out of me.
@Kieran Campbell: I totally agree with you and that lad David that replied to your comment is probably some city boy that doesn’t even know his next door neighbor never mind reading the weather forecast
@John gaughan: I say he does not whinge as much as the culchies
Follow the Midlands Weather Channel on Facebook – Cathal predicted this days ago and was surprised no warnings were being given. He’s spot on with his forecasts.
With everyone giving out about previous warnings, it’s hardly surprising that it came to back to bite. In fairness, the cinema should of stopped the movie and let those inside know there cars were about to be flooded once the water started coming up.
@Ich bin brendan: spot on. Fellas on here bleating on about warnings and snow flakes. No wonder Met Eireann didn’t issue one cause if they did and it flopped they’d be listening to it. Keyboard warriors aplenty to knock something.
@John Hayes: Nonsense – they have a warning system for a reason – if they cannot manage to do their ONE JOB they need to taken to task – w e pay enougb taxes for public services in this country to expect people to do their jobs – i honestly don’t get all these apologists – ya can’t blame them , what should they have done , it;s not that complicated – issuing an orange warning at 8pm when a storm hit a 9pm – go back and watch the met eireann forecast on the 6 news of you want to see EXACTLY what they were saying – this apologist stuff is nonsense – Irish people are far too soft on their expectations of what level of public services they should expect for the very very high taxes we pay to fund public services – Met Eireann are not beyond criticism FFS
@Dave Hammond: glad you got that off your chest Dave … nothing like a good rant. You surely have heard of the saying – it’s as unpredictable as the weather- which is what weather is UNPREDICTABLE even with technology. A warning at 8pm for 9pm is better than no warning at all in my eyes. Happy Christmas fella.
Some comments here are hilarious as per, hence why I pop in to see the usual suspects here who’d argue with their own shadow.
If there was warnings we’d have the usual that its ott and “there’s no need for warnings” and if we had a late warning/no warning it’s “where was the warning?”
Can’t win.
@Gavin Mckenna: sounds like you have a CV in with the Wet Office Gavin?!
@Gavin Mckenna: its not complicated Gavin – they have a warning system – the whole point is that a lot of people think they cannot use it correctly – and they are guilty of issuing too many yellow warnings to the point where people pay no attention anymore – imagine they had a yellow warning on yesterday – they issued an orange warning at 8pm for a storm that hit at 9 …..how on earth can you not think they need to be criticized and taken to task when they are not able to do the ONE JOB they are being funded for.
a bit late calling the Orange Warning at 9 wouldn’t you say, when it had already made landfall at 8.20pm in Galway and was already ferocious and almost at RED warnijng level!!!!
The Storm Never Bothered Me Anyway…
@Anthony Edward Healy: Came here for Frozen comments… was not disappointed.
Well, well that was some storm, no warnings, probably the worst storm in Cork since Ophelia. Met Eirean gave no warnings,this was coming, they only gave a status Orange for Cork when the storm was halfway through it looked worse than that.
A typical winter storm.Have to say life goes a lot easier when they are no warnings of storms.
Met Éireann needs a little room on this one, the weather warning was gave when it developed. The difference here is that the storm built late (Portugal only named it on Tuesday and it was not expected to be bad) , it came from an unusual source and took a big swing to the left allowing it to build. We don’t normally get big storms storms building in strength as they hit us. The ones we get warned about are massive things way out in the alantic that done look like they will reduce in strength as time and distance slows them down.
My question is were pre orange status indications and were they acted upon or observed on time.
One hour warning given at eight taking effect at nine if that was Dublin or the East coast they would be talking about it a month before
Car parks on the Seafront in Salthill regularly flood when there’s a storm. A sign to remind drvers of this would be good idea.
@Conall: plenty of those in situ, the pre warning didn’t give people a chance to cancel plans for cinema etc. Some newish hybrids still on the prom waiting to be towed.
Storm Elsewhere more like!!!
well i think they underestimated the strength in the North East, it was very severe Wednesday night, stuff blowing all over the place and very hazardous driving conditions
have your say