Myles Abraham
| Date of birth | 9 May 1887 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 7 July 1966 (aged 79) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Exeter, Devon, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Myles Abraham (9 May 1887 — 7 July 1966) was an Irish international rugby union player.[1]
Biography
[edit]Born and raised in Dublin, Abraham grew up as one of eight siblings. Both his parents worked at St Columba's College, Dublin, his father as a coachman and his mother as a dairymaid.[2]
Abraham, a solicitor's clerk, was a three-quarter in rugby and played some of his early senior matches with Clontarf, but gained his Ireland caps after moving to Bective Rangers, which he captained in 1912–13. His primary position was centre and it was in this role that he represented Ireland in three 1912 Five Nations matches, helping them claim a share of the championship with England. He was capped a fourth time later that year against the touring South African team, then made his fifth and final appearance in 1914, as a wing three-quarter against Wales. In addition to playing rugby, Abraham was also an Irish amateur heavyweight boxing champion.[2][3]
In World War I, Abraham served as an officer in the Royal Field Artillery and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in 1918 for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty". He also received a Military Medal and was recommended for the Victoria Cross (VC). The Victoria Cross didn't eventuate as the major who had recommended Abraham was killed during the conflict.[2]
Abraham played some post war rugby for the Leicester Tigers and Ripon in England.[2]
Retiring from his civil service job in 1953, Myles retired to Devon, where many of his 14 children resided.[2]
Abraham's great-grandson Joshua Key is an English professional footballer.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "You're spoiled for choice with variety of Cork talks". Irish Independent. 29 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Who Do You Think You Are? The Myles Abraham Story". Irish Rugby. 14 September 2010.
- ^ "Boxing". Dublin Daily Express. 24 April 1914.
- ^ "Josh Key: Swansea City's Republic of Ireland hopeful aims to make his sporting family proud". BBC Sport. 20 October 2023.
External links
[edit]- Myles Abraham at ESPNscrum
- 1887 births
- 1966 deaths
- Irish rugby union players
- Ireland international rugby union players
- Rugby union players from Dublin (city)
- Rugby union centres
- Clontarf FC players
- Bective Rangers players
- Leinster Rugby players
- Leicester Tigers players
- Royal Field Artillery officers
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal
- Recipients of the Military Medal
- Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom