A book telling the story of the revival of the Olympic Games in modern times was launched by the Greek ambassador in Dublin this week.
Stelios Mallikourtis said The Golden Flame reveals how the French nobleman, Pierre de Coubertin succeeded in reviving the games.
"The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896 after a break of 15 centuries . . . You all understand how happy and proud the Greeks are to host the Olympics once again," he said.
There are significant links between Ireland and Pierre de Coubertin, says the author, Gabriel Murray, who is originally from Kilkenny city and is now based in London. He recalls how the French nobleman fell in love with an Irish girl and came to Ireland in 1890 to ask her to marry him. She turned him down but de Coubertin's visit coincided with the revival of Gaelic games.
And, according to Murray, one of the most interesting aspects of the story is the link between the Olympic Games and the Aran Islands. The winner of the first Olympic medal was James Brendan Connolly from Boston in the US, whose parents were Seán Connolly and Áine O'Donnell, both from Inis Mór off the coast of Co Galway.
Among those who at the launch were Cormac Crawford, of Ailesbury Publications, Joseph Scallan, a classics student at NUI Maynooth and John Grant, a banker from Malahide.
Alaistair Greene, a farmer from Castledermot, Co Kildare, and his partner, Bridget Benkanoun, were also there. According to Greene, the idealism of de Coubertin and "his endeavour to get above the wars between nations, to rise . . . through sport to unite nations" is the most fascinating aspect of the story.