South Boston's James Brendan Connolly (1868-1957) was the first medalist in the Modern Olympic Games, taking first place in the triple jump held in Athens, Greece in 1896. The book Irish Boston describes Connolly as "one of twelve children (including eight boys in a row) born in South Boston to immigrant parents John and Ann (O'Donnell) from Inis More, Aran Islands, off the coast of County Galway, Ireland." For insight into what Connolly's feat means to the people of South Boston today, read Patrick Rosso's story on James B. Connolly in The Boston Globe . For more about Boston Irish history, visit IrishHeritageTrail.com .
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