Council to consider erecting statue to honour local boxer

Consideration is to be given to the possibility of erecting a statue in Mullingar to honour a local sporting legend, boxer Maxie McCullagh.

The suggestion was made by Cllr Andrew Duncan at the September meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad. He formally proposed that the district erect a statue or monument.

The response provided by the district stated that if the members were in agreement, the matter will be brought forward for consideration by the Corporate Policy Group.

Mr McCullagh, one of the boxing world’s greats, represented Ireland in the men’s lightweight event at the 1948 Summer Olympics, and reached the quarter-finals.

A year later, he became the first Irishman to win a European title outside Ireland.

Cllr Duncan told colleagues that the idea arose after a niece of Mr McCullagh, who was on a visit to Mullingar from London, called to his office.

“Mullingar has a really proud tradition of producing world class boxers.

“But at a time where there was little happening in Ireland, let alone Mullingar, Maxie McCullagh made history when he became the first Irish boxer to win a European gold medal outside of Ireland.

“It was a big event. He was a household name,” said Cllr Duncan, adding that since then, Mullingar had been blessed with many other successful boxers and had one, John Joe Nevin, win a silver medal in the Olympics: “I think there needs to be some sort of a monument put up to them or some recognition of them that is permanent.”

Cllr Mick Dollard said he was very supportive of the concept of erecting statues of those from Mullingar who had represented Ireland in a positive way.

He said it had taken just nine months to get a statue erected in honour of Joe Dolan, and he suggested that Maxie’s relative, Jack Kiernan of Great Oaks, be brought on board to help make it happen.

Cllr Bill Collentine said Mullingar should recognise all that Mr McCullagh had done for Mullingar.

Fully supporting the motion too was Cllr Denis Leonard: “They say if you don’t learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it. If you don’t celebrate history, you’re doomed never to be inspired by it.”

Cllr Emily Wallace agreed, saying if you want to inspire a generation, you need to lead by example.

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Maxie McCullagh put town on boxing map

By Jack Kiernan, nephew of Maxie McCullagh (1922-2001)

Images below and main image at top of page, courtesy of Mr Kiernan

Maxie was born in Irishtown, Mullingar and from an early age was interested in most sports – however, as his father was a former army featherweight boxing champion, it came as no surprise that Maxie took to the sport like a duck to water.

Just like his dad, he also won army boxing titles, as well as that, he won four all-army medals for basketball. Maxie had a big interest in soccer and played centre back for Mullingar Town for a number of years. He also sponsored an annual schoolboy soccer league during the 1950s.

He joined the army in 1940, where he won both command and all-army titles. In 1944, at the age of 22, Maxie won the national junior lightweight title. On leaving the army in 1946, he worked at Guinness as a storeman and later took up employment, again as a storeman, with CIÉ at the maintenance depot at Broadstone, Dublin.

His first international contest was in January 1946, when he represented Ireland against Wales, and over the next six years, he represented his country on 31 occasions, and scored victories over the best in the world.

The highlight of his career was in 1949 in Oslo, Norway, when Maxie, an aggressive southpaw, became European Lightweight Champion, thus becoming the first Irishman to win European Gold outside Ireland.

In the final, he beat the highly-fancied French champion Mohammed Ammi in a fight described by the media at the time as being a “masterly display of brilliant footwork and rapier-like lefts”.

On his triumphant return to Dublin, Maxie rode a white horse from the outskirts of the city through the city centre (my father had a photograph of Maxie riding the horse, unfortunately, it has disappeared). When he returned to Mullingar, Maxie received a rousing welcome. That was his first visit to his native town since he was crowned lightweight championship of Europe.

The massive crowd thronged the vicinity of the Green Bridge and the gardaí had to control the traffic. Mullingar Brass and Reed Band and Mullingar Boys Pipe Band marched to the station, followed by what looked like the entire population of the town, who were singing and cheering as they greeted the champion. The Tricolour was displayed everywhere.

The sun shone brightly, as Maxie, accompanied by his young wife, alighted from the bus and were greeted by his father and mother and members of the St Mary’s Club reception committee. Those present included Garda Jim Farren and Messrs WA Power and B Corcoran. Standing up in an open-air car which moved slowly through the streets, Maxie waved and smiled to the thousands of greetings from people on the side-walks.

That same year, McCullagh was voted Boxer of the Year by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association.

The following year Maxie captained the Irish team in the US Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago and Washington and scored a famous victory over the then world lightweight champion. Also that year and indeed the following year, he was approached by numerous, well known professional boxing promoters with offers to turn professional, Maxie declined as he preferred to stay in the amateur ranks.

After retiring in 1952, Maxie became a trainer at

Corinthians Boxing Club, Dublin and trained many Irish champions including a young Cabra man, Steve Collins, who later became world champion in the professional ranks.

Maxie was a founder member and president of the CIÉ Broadstone Sports Club and in 1966 the club’s new gymnasium was named in his honour.

He was also president of the Irish Ex-Boxers Association. In 1997 he was honoured by the Westmeath County Council and was accorded an address of recognition to mark his sporting achievements.