A-Z of Ireland and the Irish at the Winter Olympic Games 

Ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing next month, historian Tom Hunt delves through the archives of Irish interest at the Games over the past 30 years

Seamus O'Connor competes at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

A is for Albertville

What Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) president Pat Hickey described as “a bright new adventure in Irish sport” began at Albertville on February 8, 1992 when Irish competitors, led by flag-bearer Pat McDonagh, stepped out in an opening ceremony of a Winter Olympic Games for the first time.