Michael Wallace 

Earlier on this week Irish Sailing were notified of the death of Former Irish Olympic Sailing Team Manager, Michael Wallace. Michael worked as the Irish Sailing Team Manager for 8 years, from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles to 1992 in Barcelona.

As a notable member of Irish Sailing’s history we asked a friend of his Bill O’Hara OBE OLY, how he remembers his time working alongside ‘Mick.’

"I started sailing Lasers in 1977 and that's when I first met Mick. We both liked sailing, rugby and beer so it wasn't difficult to form a friendship. In 1978 Mick won two of the four provincials and later went on to finish third in the World Masters in 1982 so he was a force to be reckoned with on the water, but it was off the water where he had a greater influence on my life. 

In 1983 he convinced me to try and qualify for the 1984 Olympics and it set me on a path that would be life defining. He attended the Olympics as my Team leader / Coach and we were a team of two. In 1988 he had grown the team to a team of 9. Finally he led the team to Barcelona in 1992. This was a different era where we were all volunteers trying to fit in our sailing around family and work commitments . A good example of his support was In 1986. I wanted to attend the Finn Worlds in Arenal but was struggling with the logistics as I had a young family and a fulltime job in the hospitality industry. Mick and his wife Greta made it possible by transporting my boat to and from Arenal so I only had to fly in for the week to compete.

Through our friendship I stayed with them on many occasions and got to meet their four sons, Henry, Richard, Paul & David, all sailors and all great rugby players. It was great to be having lunch with Mick and Greta in their house in Crosshaven and seeing all the rugby photos of the Irish team and the British Lions on the wall. Mick will be sadly missed by everyone but he leaves a great legacy, by the influence he had on many in the sailing community, after a lifetime of volunteering at all levels of the sport!"

He will be sorely missed by the sailing community, especially amongst the sailing clubs of Co. Cork. of which he was a member.