RIP: Did you know Irish Olympic hero Ronnie Delany had a strong Kilkenny connection?

Touching tributes have been paid to Irish Olympic champion Ronnie Delany, who has died at the age of 91.

The County Wicklow athlete won gold for Ireland in the 1956 Melbourne Games in the 1,500m event.

At the age of just 21 he set a new Olympic record time of 3:41.2 when he overcame the home favourite John Landy on the last lap.

His victory earned the first Olympic gold medal for the country in two decades and it would not see another one until the 1992 games in Barcelona.

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However, did you know Delany had a Kilkenny connection?

Information courtesy of Paul Cuddihy - Before the 1956 Melbourne Games, he worked as a door-to-door salesman for Hoover vacuum cleaners in Kilkenny.

He trained out in James’ Park in the evenings after work. To run in the dark on grass was dangerous in that streetlights were few and far between. He put down four bicycle lamps at the turns, and ran like the wind.

"He was a modest man who had great achievements in his athletic career and knew well another Olympic athlete with Kilkenny connections - the great Maeve Kyle, nee Shankey.," Mr Cuddihy said.

"Both runners lived long lives, Maeve reaching 96 years of age, while Ronnie lived to a sprightly 91 years of age," he added.

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