23-07-2025
Legendary Irish Olympian Maeve Kyle dies aged 96
IRELAND'S FIRST FEMALE track-and-field Olympian, Maeve Kyle, has died aged 96.
A native of Co. Kilkenny, Kyle (nėe Shankey) competed at three consecutive Olympic Games for Ireland — Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, and Tokyo 1964 — at a time in which female athletes were faced with prejudice and a distinct lack of opportunities in international athletics.
The trailblazing Kyle's longevity as a track-and-field athlete was remarkable, but so too was her versatility. She excelled as both a sprinter and as a middle-distance runner, competing for Ireland in the 100m and 200m sprints in both Melbourne and Rome before reaching the semi-finals of the 400m and 800m in Tokyo, aged 36.
Kyle's sporting achievements extended beyond athletics, too: she won 58 caps for Ireland in hockey and was twice named the World All Star team, in 1953 and 1959. Kyle also excelled in tennis, swimming and golf.
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Maeve Kyle pictured with Katie Taylor at the 2012 Irish Sports Council Sportstwoman of the Year awards. Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
Born in Kilkenny in 1928, Kyle was later educated in Dublin. Her P.E. teacher at Alexandra College was none other than Dorothy Dermody, who had broken new ground for Irish sportswomen as a fencer at the 1948 Summer Games in London.
Kyle would go on to become Ireland's First Lady of track and field, as well as the country's first ever female three-time Olympian.
Her competing as a young mother at the 1956 Summer Games in Melbourne was heavily criticised by conservative and clerical commentators back home.
Kyle's legacy in Irish athletics continued long into her retirement. She co-founded Ballymena & Antrim Athletics Club with her husband, Sean Kyle, in 1955, and was a highly regarded coach well into her 80s.
In 2006, Kyle was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Irish Sports Council for her outstanding contribution to Irish sport.
Of Kyle's passing, Olympic Federation of Ireland president Lochlann Walsh said: 'We have lost a legend of Irish Olympic Sport who rose to the top despite huge challenges in 1950s Ireland. She was an inspiration to us all. May she rest in peace.'
CEO of the OFI, Peter Sherrard, added: 'Our thoughts today are with Maeve's extended family, friends and relatives. Her achievements in life gave inspiration to so many Irish women who followed in her footsteps as Olympians.'
