Mayo County Council Martin Sheridan Sports Memorial Bursary
Information for Nominators
The Martin Sheridan Bursary is intended for sports people who have excellent potential, outstanding ability and the desire to perform at the highest level possible in their chosen sport.
Mayo County Council, in their budget, have allocated the sum of €5,000 towards the Martin Sheridan Bursary Scheme.
Martin Sheridan
Martin Sheridan was born in Bohola, County Mayo on March 28, 1881. At 18 years of age he emigrated to America and joined the New York Police Force. He trained as part of the NYP Athletics Team and qualified to represent the United States in the Olympic Games.
Over a period of fourteen years, he won more Olympic Medals than any other Irish Athlete – Five Gold, Three Silver and one Bronze. He also won twelve US Championships and over Thirty Canadian, Metropolitan and Regional Championships.
Over the course of his career, he established sixteen world records and was considered virtually unbeatable. Sadly, at the age of 36, Martin died from a viral infection.
In 1988, he was the first Irishman to be inducted into the prestigious National Track and Field Hall of Fame in Indianapolis. Very few athletes have come up to Martin’s all round individual performance and his name will always be remembered in athletic circles as one of the all-time greats.
In Bohola today, The Martin Sheridan Memorial Community Centre is dedicated to his memory along with a very impressive memorial, which stands in the grounds of the Community Centre.
Application
We are honoured that Mayo County Council continue to support this Bursary and we invite Athletes from County Mayo to apply for it.
An application for the Bursary must be made by a third party i.e. a Sporting Club or Organisation on behalf of the nominee. Only one male and one female athlete may be nominated by a third party.
Each application will be assessed on an individual basis by the Martin Sheridan Memorial Bursary Committee. Canvassing of any kind will immediately disqualify the applicant for consideration.
Nominators should aim to put forward a complete and concise application for their chosen nominee. Please read the Criteria for Application document carefully.
Full details and application forms below.