Sir, – Growing up in the south of Dublin my parents were pharmacists and Ronnie Delany, of a similar age to them, was a regular customer and friend.
One Sunday morning he appeared to pick up a prescription and, taking a seat in the shop, he relaxed and chatted with my dad. Another customer, recognising who he was, pointed him out to her young son, with whom Ronnie shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Presumably on leaving the shop the boy realised he had missed an opportunity to obtain a souvenir. It being the era before selfies, he returned and asked my father for some paper and a pen, which the ageing athlete duly took to sign an autograph.
A few minutes later, handing over the prescription, my dad nodded toward the door and remarked “I think you made his day”. With his characteristic rangy shrug, the great man smiled and replied “well possibly, but certainly he made mine”.
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Perhaps our greatest ever athlete, may he rest in peace. – Yours etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.
Sir, – Ronnie Delany was a modest gentleman. Even with an Olympic 1500 metres gold medal around his neck, he did not feel the need to have his picture plastered over every newspaper.
But within a day of Ronnie’s return home after his great victory in the summer of 1956, The Irish Times got a scoop. Your paper of record featured a large photo of Ronnie’s house in Sandymount, with a big black arrow pointing to a front upstairs window.
An explanatory box shouted the dramatic words: “Ronnie Resting Here”. Definitely one in the eye for the Press and the Indo. – Yours, etc,
RODNEY DEVITT,
Sandymount,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – It is Irish athletes who mourn the passing of our hero Ron Delany. I call on the Government to establish a section of a sport museum dedicated to Ron.
It’s high time we had a museum to honour our sporting greats.
I suggest Collins Barracks would be a fitting location for this. – Yours, etc,
KEN MCCUE,
President,
Titans Athletics Club,
Dublin 7.
