RINTY MONAGHAN: A SAILORTOWN HERO
A special talk by author Barry Flynn.
Titanic Belfast, Andrews Gallery.
November 7. 7:30pm. £3
TITANIC Belfast will celebrate the life, times and talent of the late, great Rinty Monaghan on November 7. As part of Titanic Belfast’s Festival of Family and Friends, a Gathering initiative with a range of events including dance, talks and yarn-telling, author and boxing historian Barry Flynn will discuss the career of arguably one of the boxing ‘true’ world champions, in RINTY MONAGHAN: A SAILORTOWN HERO.
In words, pictures, song and poetry, Flynn will remind elders and inform the next generation about the legend who hailed from Belfast’s Sailortown locality.
The name of John Joseph ‘Rinty’ Monaghan will live long in the annals of Irish sporting greats. In October 1947, Rinty won the National Boxing Association – later to become the World Boxing Association – flyweight crown. His victory in London over Dado Marino was, perhaps, the most significant breakthrough in Irish boxing in the 20th century and made Monaghan an instant legend in his native Belfast and beyond.
On 23rd March 1948, at a packed King’s Hall, the remarkable flyweight became the undisputed world champion when he dispatched the durable Scot, Jackie Paterson, in the seventh round. As Patterson lay prostrate, Rintyjigged in the ring and was soon to lead the crowd in a rendition of ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling’. In retirement, he took four titles – British, European, Commonwealth, and World – into his keeping, after a career that spanned 66 professional outings, losing on just eight occasions.
He began his boxing career in Ma Copley’s famous boxing booths in Belfast and, unbelievably, had his first paid fight at the age of 14 in 1934. That first taste of professionalism was the beginning of a sparkling career that saw him command a huge following in his hometown. A short break for military service during World War Two interrupted his rise to the top. The King’s Hall became his fortress and eventually he scaled the heights to bring a world crown to his native Belfast.
Rinty Monaghan’s story is epic in its telling. However, there is more to Rinty’s tale than just a boxing story. He was a showman, an entertainer, a born fighter, and of course, a family man, who was to die at his home in Little Corporation Street on 3rd March 1984, aged just 63. It is a tale of a man who rose from humble beginnings to scale the heights of his sport. It is also a tale of a man who brought pride to the streets of post-war Belfast and put the city on the world sporting map. It’s a story also about a place called Sailortown.
As the 30th anniversary of Rinty’s death approaches, Barry Flynn, will be joined by a plethora of local characters who will relive the era and tell the tales of the man who became the hero of a city. Titanic Belfast’s Festival of Family and Friends begins on November 4 and runs to November 10. Full details of all events can be found on www.titanicbelfast.com
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