MABEL ESMONDE CAHILL (1863-1905) The only Irish person to make the prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame is Mabel Esmonde Cahill, one of twelve children born to Kilkenny barrister Michael Netterville Cahill and his second wife, Eliza. They lived at Ballyconra House, Ballyraggett, Co. Kilkenny. Mabel was a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Roscrea when her father died in 1877. His will reveals that Mabel’s mother had ‘shamefully deserted’ him. By 1877, at least three of Mabel’s brothers were living in California which may have prompted her entry into the 1891 US Open. The sprightly right-hander from Ballyraggett defeated Franklin D Roosevelt’s cousin, Ellen Roosevelt, to win the tournament. In fact, she won the singles, doubles and mixed titles at the US Open in both 1891 and 1892, and was the first player ever to win three titles in a single year at any of the four ‘Grand Slam’ events. In 1891 the lawn tennis champion published a ‘dainty love tale’ called ‘Her Playthings, Men’. Little is known of her latter years and she is believed to have died aged 43 in 1905.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 22:45:11 +0000
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