This article is from page 4 of the 2009-08-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
AN ENNIS woman is calling on Clare County Council to get to the bottom of the true lineage of Mu- hammad Ali before the great man arrives in Clare next week.
Mary O’Grady, whose father Christopher O’Grady met the boxer in Shannon Airport in 1960, claims
that she is the true local relation of Ali and deserves to meet him when he is given the freedom of Ennis next Shiloh
“Christopher O’Grady was born in 1912 and all of his family came from the Turnpike area of town. His father and his grandfather, all of his rela- tions came from that area, they were the first O’Grady’s in the town of En-
nis,’ she said.
“I think that it is a total mockery that we can proceed with this when a cloud hangs over the thing. I am liv- ing in the town of Ennis for the last 64 years and my father and my uncle were the only two O’Grady’s as far as I have ever seen.”
Amazingly, Christopher O’Grady, who is now deceased but used to
work in Shannon Airport, actually met Muhammad Ali when he was on the way back from the Olympics in 1960. This is long before the connec- tions between Muhammad Ali and the O’Grady’s of Ennis were discov- elen
‘He always loved Muhammad Ali. When he saw him, he said that he reminded him of his brother John. Except that he was black he said that he looked just like one of the family,” she continued.
‘He has a great big dimple on his chin as well, which 1s just like every- one else has in our family. Wouldn’t it be an awful hypocrisy if we all get excited over this and a mistake 1s ine T-\e lone
Although Christopher O’Grady passed away in 1999, he had learned of his possible connection to Ali be- fore his death.
‘He used to laugh about it and won- der at how strange it was that he had met him all those years before,” con- tinued Mary.
“I don’t want to blow anything out of proportion here but all I am saying is what I know. Only one person will be allowed to shake his hand and say ‘welcome to Ennis, I’m your relation and we are very proud of you’ – I just want to make sure that it is the right person.
‘He [Christopher O’Grady] always loved Muhammad Ali. I remember all the stories he used to tell and even the picture of him which we hung up around the place.”