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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Click on the arrows to go through Donegal's previous Olympians
Pa Sharkey (Boxing; 1956)
Rosses native Pa Sharkey made waves at home in the ring, but emigrated to Australia.
He was selected to box for Ireland in the 1956 Olympics in Sydney.
In a bid to leave himself in the best possible condition for Melbourne, Sharkey left a lucrative job at the Snowy Mountain Hydro-Electric Scheme and went to Sydney to work at the building trade for one-third of his previous wage.
He lost out to Thorner Ashman in his heavyweight opener and had to leave the camp the next day as the Irish federation couldn't afford to keep him at their base.
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