About us:

Advisory Board

The Winged Fist Organization's Advisory Board is composed of distinguished athletes, academics, writers, historians, police officers, producers and one master genealogist. To view brief biographies, see Winged Fist Advisory Board.

Ian McGowan: Winged Fist Organization founder, archivist & historian

Mr. McGowan is a native New Yorker and a Master's degree candidate in the City College of New York’s history department, studying the Irish Diaspora in Latin America. He currently resides in Sunnyside/Woodside, Queens in the Celtic Park apartments, on the very site of the former Irish-American Athletic Club’s track & field. Mr. McGowan has been studying the Irish Diaspora in the America’s for more than twenty years, and for the past five years has been researching the athletes and accomplishments of the Irish-American Athletic Club.

Email: wingedfist@gmail.com

Conrad Landais: Graphic Artist & Web Designer

Mr. Landais is the Winged Fist Organization’s web designer and graphic artist extraordinaire. He has twenty years experience as a graphic artist and is available for freelance graphic art and web design. Mr. Landais is a native New Yorker, and currently lives in the Miami area.

Email: clandais@gmail.com

Irish-American Athletic Club Presentation:
Ian McGowan, founder, historian and archivist of the Winged Fist Organization, is available to present his lecture and PowerPoint presentation on the history of the Irish-American Athletic Club of Celtic Park, Queens. A true history detective, Mr. McGowan unearthed a treasure trove of trophies won by the I-AAC a century ago, which disappeared from the public eye more than 75 years ago. His research has uncovered the special role of the Irish-American Athletic Club in the history of amateur athletics and their prominence regionally, nationally and internationally in the early 20th century. This story and many others, including the I-AAC's role in the controversial 1908 Olympics, are part of Mr. McGowan's lecture and presentation, which includes over one hundred historic archival photos. Mr. McGowan is available to present to your fraternal organization, county society, campus club or athletic team just about anywhere in the Greater New York tri-state area, or anywhere in the world, providing expenses are covered.

Review:
"This is the kind of presentation that puts flesh on the bones of our Ancestors. It adds to our genealogical research because it not only shows us what type of entertainment our ancestors participated in, but also what they enjoyed viewing and who were the foremost athletes of the time."

-Walter Kehoe
President of Computer Genealogy Society of Long Island, VP and Director, Irish Family History Forum, Trustee, Greater Astoria Historical Society and Former Director, Plainview Family History Center

Press Clips:

• Irish Emigrant, August 3 – 9, 2009
• Irish Emigrant, June 1 – 7, 2009
• Mayo Society Newsletter, May, 2009
• The Queens Gazette, April 1, 2009
• Irish Echo, March 18 – 24, 2009
• Irish Emigrant, March 16 –, 2009
• The Queens Gazette, October 29, 2008
• Garden City News, Sept. 5, 2008
• Lehman College, April 21, 2008

Winged Fist Organization Discussion Group:

The Winged Fist Organization has created a disscusion group on IrishAbroad.com. To join, click here.

How you can help the Winged Fist Organization:

• Place your banner ad on or link to our website
• Make a tax deductible donation to support our research
• Make a tax-deductible donation to mount a plaque at Celtic Park

If you are a descendant of a member of the Irish-American Athletic Club or think you may be, or if you have any memorabilia or ephemra pertaining to the club, please email: wingedfist@gmail.com