Paddy Kavanagh September 1929 – August 2015
Born in Dublin in 1929 into a family that excelled at sport. Paddy commenced his rugby career playing for Blackrock College on the Senior Cup team in 1948 winning the Senior Cup final at Lansdowne Road.
He started swimming for Dublin Swimming Club in Blackrock Baths in 1940. He was trained by the Olympic diver Eddie Heron and was one of the first competitive swimmers to train throughout the year travelling in from the family home in Ballsbridge to Tara Street and Iveagh Baths.
He specialized in the 100m Freestyle and was selected in 1948 to swim for Ireland in the Olympics in London along with teammates Eddie Heron, Square McCarthy, Liam Jones and Stuart Cram, winning his first Irish Championships for Sandycove Swimming Club in 1949. He won the 100m Freestyle at the Irish Championship give times between the years 1949 and 1954.
In 1954 he established a record for the distance (62.2 seconds), which was never equaled outdoors and was not bettered indoors until 1963. He also played water polo with his brother Ronnie for Sandycove Swimming Club, winning the Irish Championships in 1949 and was awarded his first cap. He retired from swimming in 1956. After retiring from swimming he turned his attention to rugby playing first for Leinster and going on to win his first cap for Ireland at Twickenham in 1952 playing against England.
That same year he was selected with his brother Ronnie for the Irish side who toured Chile and Argentina in 1952. He was selected to play for the Barbarians on three occasions. His rugby career finished following a serious injury while playing for Wanderers at Lansdowne Road in 1956.
