TAILTEANN GAMES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 146, 21 June 1924, Page 19

TAILTEANN GAMES

OLD IRISH SPORTS FESTIVAL

DUBLIN PREPARING FOR GREAT EVENT. Great interest has been aroused in Ireland by tho revival of the Tailteann Games, the old Irish sports festival— embracing music, drama, and art, as well as athletics—which will be held in Dublin from 2nd to 18th August, says the "Manchester Guardian." The opening ceremonies are fixed for Croke Park, and at present thousands of workers are engaged in the work of preparation. Specialists in the various branches of sport have organised committees, who havo weekly meetings and who report regularly to the Central Council of the games. Athletics, hurling, football, swimming, boxing, gymnastics, Irish step and figure dancing, golf, tennis, rowing, yachting, chess, and billiards are all in an advanced state cE organisation. _ The musical competitions, drama and literary competitions have secured large entries from places as far off as Los Angeles and Milan.

On the opening day all creeds and classes of the Irish people will be assembled. Massed choirs, massed bands, parades of athletes and gymnastic displays will mark the initial ceremony. The selected Irish hurk-rs will met the Scottish shinty players in competition. Thenceforward for almost three weeks Dublin city will be en fete. The famous Dnblin Horse Show intervenes, and hundreds of sources of attraction, outdoor and indoor, will bo prepared for the visitors.

The questions of transport, accommodation, and catering for the visitors have received careful attention. Railway, steamship, and tourist companies are arranging special excursion rates to cover the Tailteann period. Many special steamers have been engaged to bring visitors from America, England, Franco, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, and ' Germany. The catering committee has already made arrangements for feeding 50,000 persons daily in addition to Dublin's regular population. The standard of food and a set rate of charges havo already been laid down. Flags will hang out of every house where visitors will be_ catered for, and a central bureau of information for visitors is being set up. Dublin city will be specially decorated for the occasion. The.Dublin Rotary Club has taken up this question, and a decorative scheme, costing from £12,----000 to £15,000, is being arranged. Tha various entrances to the city will havo chastely designed decorations of distinctive native character.

A special committee for the reception of distinguished foreign visitors has been set up under Senator W. B. Yeates. Many Irish mansions will be at tho disposal of this committee, which is already very forward with its Work.

Canada, Anstralia, South Africa, and the Argentine are sending teams of competitors, while England, Scotland, and Wales have organisations engaged in the preparation and equipment of teams. Northern England is expected to send a strong contingent. Manchester is tho centre of the North of England activities, but at Liverpool and Tynesido preparations are Being made for the tour to Dublin.