Harry Boland

Harry Boland competed at the 1948 Olympics for Ireland.

Hall of Fame induction

1998

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Club associated with

UCD College

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Harry, originally a hurling man, was introduced to basketball by Fr. Horan, who invited him to an Army demonstration game involving a U.S. team. Harry was highly impressed with the sport, particularly with the rules and the way in which substitutes were an integral part of the game. He was an immediate convert.

Together with Fr. Horan, Harry formed the UCD Basketball Club under the Collegians name (the exact date is unsure, probably around 1945). Harry became the club's first treasurer, a position he held until 1998 after an unbroken spell of 52 years.

After leaving UCD, Harry returned to his roots in Marino and set up the Naomh Joseph Club. The club, with Harry as a key player, went on to compete in Dublin competitions until the late 1960s, winning a number of Dublin titles.

In 1948, Harry was one of only two civilians to play on the Irish Olympic team of 1948. Although they finished 23rd out of 23 teams, it was a real "eye-opener" for the players.

Apart from learning new types of defence, it was the first time any of them had seen a "real" basketball. Up to that time, Irish players had used a special Irish-made ball, which had been designed on the basis of the 1936 Rulebook. It was extremely heavy and very large.

After the Olympics, Harry remained on the Irish team that went on to compete in various competitions such as the Four Countries International Tournament. At that time, competitive basketball structures were quite undeveloped, so most competitive action took place in the Dublin Championships and Blitzes.

In the mid-1960s, Harry moved into an administrative role within Irish basketball and held various positions on the Dublin County Board and the Leinster Council. He was elected President of the Irish Association in 1965, a position he held until 1968.

After his term of office expired, Harry stepped down from active involvement in basketball and concentrated on his business interests. He was a partner in the Haughey Boland Accountancy firm.

He was a true ambassador for Irish basketball throughout his long and distinguished association with the sport.

Harry sadly passed away in 2013 in Dublin. He is deeply missed by all at Basketball Ireland.