[5] In the 1956 Rás Tailteann, Fitzgerald won two stages and the overall prize.
[6] Fitzgerald, along with Tommy Flanagan and Tom Gerrard, attempted to compete for Ireland at the team road race event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
They were chosen by the 32-county National Cycling Association (NCA), which was not internationally recognised (instead, there was Cumann Rothaíochta na hÉireann and the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation).
They aimed to "gate-crash" the race, remove Union Jack flags and extinguish the Olympic flame; they succeeded in none of these, but did attract international attention to the NCA's plight.
[8] He was married twice and has seven children; Gaelic footballer Paul Geaney is one of his grandchildren.