Greatest Irish Sportsperson Ever?
It’s no flash in the pan. It’s no once-off. Padraig Harrington took the step that elevates him above any accusations of fluke. Winning one major is an excellent achievement, but the fact that a second takes him beyond the likes of Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton and Paul Lawrie reinforces the significance. It’s doubtful as to whether Tiger would have got the better of him, considering something as innocuous as an early tee time on Thursday destroyed many of the leading players’challenges before they got started.
Where does it put Harrington in terms of Great Irish Sportspeople? With hopefully several years of a successful career remaining, it is difficult to truly assess his place, but already, he must rank very highly.
In compiling a list of possible contenders, we’ve had to bear in mind their impact on the global sporting world. That means a lot of excellent GAA footballers and hurlers are unfortunately excluded. Also there needs to be success at such a level, which means Brian O’Driscoll, who was widely regarded as the best player in the world for a couple of years, and a whole host of other Irish rugby players are excluded (Triple Crowns do not count), but Paul O’Connell with his two Heineken Cups is in. Likewise Brady and Giles’ lack of a European Cup means they’re out. Aidan O’Brien makes it in, but there are a whole host of other racing figures that could have made the list, most notably the former Ballydoyle master, Dr. Vincent O’Brien.
Vote for your favourite, or if you think there are inexcusable omissions, have your say below.
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July 21st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Ruby Walsh gets my vote he should be top of the list!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Great topic for an article and no doubt they’ll be many different opinions shared. For me in that list i would prob go for Stephen Roche for the greatest achievement in a single year. To win the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and World Championship is a truely remarkable achievement. Also if he is mentioned then so should Sean Kelly for his success throughout his career which included 4 green jerseys plus many more achievements. However there is always a doubt with success within cycling due to the sport being tarnished is recent years.
For overall success I would give my vote to Roy Keane. No doubt he will have his haters, which is fine, but for me he is the best football player Ireland has ever produced and the success he has had throughout his career has been brilliant. A GREAT player and has now made a good start to his new career as a manager.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Lets not get carried away with Harrington. Athletes like Sonia are judged on their performance in Olympic games. Harrington gets 16 shots at a mayor in the same period top athletes get one.
She got silver in one and very unfortunate in the another.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Ray Houghton deserves an honourable mention for his goal against England and the one that beat Italy.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Why does Michelle Smith De Bruin, our multi olympic gold medal winner not even make it onto the little pie chart; she has been wronged by many for long enough; remember, she did not fail any of the many tests taken prior to and during those games!
July 21st, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Good call Patrick
July 21st, 2008 at 10:37 pm
i cant believe keane is in that list.like he did walk out on his country. what about eamonn coughlan, ronnie delaney,barry mc guiguan,& as patrick says michelle de bruin. there are so many others. i know im going to ruffle a few feathers by saying keane walked out on his country but thats what he did & there for he shouldnt be on that list.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 am
Vincent O’Brien, no brainer!
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 am
my lord! where’s dunphy?
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 am
Charlie Redmond, the only boy to get sent off in an All ireland final and still stay on the pitch
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:38 am
How about Mike McTigue? Jack McAuliffe? Steve Collins? World champions in the toughest game there is. All are far more worthy for inclusion than Keane or O’Connell.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
Harrington deserves to be among the top sports people in our country.he proved me wrong on Sunday and I congratulate him wholeheartedly.Now for the Green jacket at Augusta.My top 5 sports people 1 Roy Keane 2 Sonia O Sullivan 3 AP McCoy 4 John Treacy 5 Ciaran Carey
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Many greats talked of so far, but why no mention of Joey Dunlop? Probably the most talented road-racing motorcyclist of all time. He consistently destroyed all opposition even when out of favour with the works teams, and therefore was riding blatantly inferior machines. RIP Joey.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
What about Jack Charlton - the greatest honorary Irish sports person! What he achieved altho cabinetless, has to be recognised as revolutionary for Irish sport, the Irish economy and set a benchmark for all of the aforementioned sports people above in the poll to strive to achieve what they have achieved.
I believe that ‘the team that Jack built’ should be definately recognised, if not the greatest, he is definately the grandfather or Don Charltoni of Irish sport today.
For personal achievement, everyone has left out Dennis Irwin, one of the most decorated players to ever play in the Premiership. Its a slight disgrace no one has even mentioned his name in the discussion so far.
On a global scale, for sporting achievement, Stephen Roches obliterating year winning the 3 titles takes some physical spiritual and definately some other X factor (hopefully not that X factor), to achieve what he did on an international scale.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Denis Irwin the quiet man of Irish soccer and one of the finest pieces of business by Sir Alex at United.How churlish that we forget him in any list of Irish sporting Legends.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
1) Padraig Harrington (Back2back Opens, 3 Winning Ryder Cups, 2 Winning Walker Cups, World Cup Winner, 23 Worldwide wins and No. 3 in the world behind the greatest sportsman of all time and gaining on Mickelson…)
2) Roy Keane (7 Premierships, 4 FA Cups, 1 European Cup, 1 Scottish Premier League, 1 Scottish Cup, 66 international caps, 1 English Championship as Sunderland manager, captain of Manchester United and Ireland for about a decade…)
3) Stephen Roche (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and World Champion in single year - a grand slam in cycling terms…)
4) Steve Collins (World Middleweight champion and World Super Middleweight champion, beat Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn twice and was never stopped in his career. W36 L3
5) Alex Higgins (2 time World Snooker Champion)
6) George Best
7) Sonia O’Sullivan
8) Ronnie Delany
9) Ken Doherty
10) Paul O’Connell
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
O’Connell?? Seems like he was just thrown in to make up the numbers
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Gregg, Ken Doherty? Come on, or is that your attempt at humour. Ruby Walsh, Kieran Fallon and Johnny Murtagh surely rank higher than him. If you want to talk about a real Irish sportsman its summed up in three words, James Cecil Parke. He hasn’t been mentioned once despite winning the Australian Open in tennis, Wimbledon mens semi-finalist, played ten times for Leinster in rugby and won 20 caps for his country. Olympic silver medalist in Tennis. He also represented his country at international level in cricket, athletics(sprinter) and…..chess! It was different era, but he ranks up there with the best Ireland has produced!!
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Ireland’s greatest SportsPerson, money-on it has to be
PADDYPOWER
everyday he cleans-up in ALL Sports; for himself, and Ireland, via employment and exchequer.
Where’s me prize
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
When cyclists are involved Sean kelly was miles ahead of Stephen Roche - Sean was ranked number one in the world for to many years to remember. Ok stephen won the Tour, But Sean won nearly everything else.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Come on Patrick - have you ever asked yourself why she put whiskey in her urine?
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:04 am
Ah lads, lads, lads……
Stephen Roche - filthy drug cheat. Don’t give me the ‘never failed a test’ crao either. Thereis faly hard and documented ever that he was a systematic user of performance enhancing drugs while winning those tournaments.
Michelle de bruin - i won;t dignfy you idiots with a response.
Paul O’Connell - May deserve his place in a list like this someday but not until he wins something at international level or reallly does something special on a Lions tour. He could win 10 Heineken cups but i’d rather a Grand Slam.
Aidan O’Brien 0 outstanding achievements and fair play but no more a sportsman than Alex Ferguson, Mick O’Dwyer or any other great manager. It’s greatest SPORTSMAN ever not sports personality.
Can you kindly stick some reasonable options into the poll please?
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 am
sad to hear paddy w commets about roche one of true greats in world sport not just irish sport “Stephen Roche - filthy drug cheat. Don’t give me the ‘never failed a test’ crao either. Thereis faly hard and documented ever that he was a systematic user of performance enhancing drugs while winning those tournaments” these weren’t tournaments he was riding the were 3 week long tours
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:04 am
barry mc guigan no mention even though his fight against pedroza was one of the classics of all time, walter swinburn no mention, ye mention paul o connell and leave out the great tony o reilly and jack kyle to name but 10 other classic rugby players who have done more than o connell, this is defo an example of naming people just for the sake of it, im surprised at paddy power.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:07 am
and by the way, gaa hurlers and footballers like christy ring , mick o connell, nicky english, djh carey have done more for sport in this country than most others, so why not include them, are we embarassed or something. There names are worldwide with irish emigrants, go to a pub in new york and ask them about paul o connell and christy ring, its a no brainer as to who will come out on top…
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Vincent O’Brien has to be named in this, he has won all major races over both codes
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 am
De Bruin? O’Connell? get a grip;
Harrington is well up there but he has never gone through the “eyeballs out” pain that Kelly, Roche, Coughlan, Delaney, O’Sullivan, and McGuigan went through.
Keane is interesting to say the least but a great sportsman? Alf-Inge-Harland anybody? and various others he tried to maim.
For sustained time at the top of their sport it has got to come down between Kelly and O’Sullivan with probably O’Sullivan just pipping Kelly for the title.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 am
Can’t you don’t have anybody from Irelands most popular and most played sports.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:26 am
To be fair to Keano, he stood up for what was right and was willing to sacrifice his place at the greatest football tournament in the world due to the inept attitude of McCarthy and Co. His act will bring a more professional approach to our national team going forward that can only be applauded
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
O’ Connell is a serious athlete and soon enuf will be worthy of this but not quite yet, at this minute Anthony Foley has done everyting he has. Johnny Murtagh 14 grade1 wins alredy dis year and were only a 3rd the way through the season, the most ever by one jockey is 25, that would be an achievement.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
Why is O’connell on that list?? No Mike Gibson, no btian o’driscoll??? Crazy i tells ya!
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
In terms of acclaim on the world stage for real sports people. No flash in the pans these sustained the records over years -
1) Kelly - a lgend in the toughest event - world no 1 for four years
2) Harrington - say no more
3) Ronnie Delaney - 1500 gold medal
4) Keane - probably best Irish player ahead of Brady.
Honourable mentions - O’Sullivan, Coughlan, Roche, O’Driscoll………
Worth noting that Harrington is still competing and getting better - a US Open or Masters and he is number one.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Harrington by a mile, the pie chart doesn’t lie. He’s also still has only half his career left and atleast 5 years at his peak.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Yeah actually, theres a distinct lack of GAA players, why??
shoddy list
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
So what your saying del is that we should ignore the evidence of his blatant cheating and embrace his ’success’? If we’re doing that then we do the same for Michelle de Bruin.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
If your allowed vote for Stephen Kelly, you should include Michelle Smith de Bruin, Martin Cahill & John Gilligan. The latter two are as much sports people as Roche.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
if your going to include george best even though he is british then he should be number 1. he was the best football player in the world in my opinion so how can roy keane be voted ahead of him?
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
mclovin is obvo a pool fan or else just a twat who can’t spell done.I’m no utd fan but keane is the most talented athlete we’ve ever had look how long he was at the top fair enough he’s not simple or straightforward but wha genius is…?
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:37 pm
i know there is a fine line between madness and genius but to call a judas like keane a genius is going one step too far. walked out on his country, deliberately maims an opponent if that what counts as a great sportsmen then we are living in sad sad times. as for some of you mentioning gaa players forget it most of them would be locked up if they done on the street what they done on the pitch. harrington is an excellent ambassador for the country, as well as murtagh, mccoy. have always had my doubts about roche and de bruin but no hard facts.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
and posting under multiple names agreeing with yourself makes you the voice of sense? is there no end to your rubbish?
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
paddy w must have been stood-up by a Michelle at some stage in his recent adolescence; and judging by his erratic spelling he would most like fail a drugs test, interesting how he spelt ‘idiots’ properly, obviously something that plays on his mind, is he frightened others think or know him to be one
now now paddy w, calm yourself before you explode in mis-spelt typing; blogging is meant to be a harmonious experience without the need to insult others whilst putting forward your own views… there there now.. all better… think butterflies daisy-chains and buttercups and then reply
SO’S an unblemished ambassador and top drawer Irish athlete/SportsPerson
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 pm
adam scott: the scousers & the mancs love the irish. i suppose u are a shamrock rovers supporter? in the list above i wouldnt have aiden o brien as a sports star, he just has billionaires buying the best bred horses & giving them to him to play with.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I cant belive I’ve never heard of James Cecil Parke,today is James Cecil Parke day !!! Look him up,its an absolute no brainer.What aLedge
July 24th, 2008 at 8:18 am
What about paul mcgrath??????????????
July 24th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Keane wasnt prepared to put up with the FAI ineptitude any more and sacrifised his place in a World Cup to make his point.We could have won that world cup if it wasnt for ineptitude on the sideline like sitting back against ten man Spain and blazers and players having barbies with journos.Explain what the feck has Robbie Keane done that makes him a greater servant to the Irish jersey.He isnt even in the top ten
July 24th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
so O’ Driscoll has two magners league titles under his belt, has captained arguably the greatest irish rugby team in history, was captain of the Lions and earned a reputation in the southern hemisphere, was named captain of a all-northern hemisphere team and is generally regarded as irelands greatest ever rugby player.
but he doesnt make the list because he never won a heineken cup? what a joke.
but my vote is for sean kelly anyway
July 24th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
The FAI and management team were shortchanging Irish football fans by expecting the team to train in substandard conditions, as someone with a winning mentality Keane was not prepared to accept that and the management team reacted as we have come to expect of the FAI, unprofessional idiots!
As a Dub who doesn’t support English teams what do you know about Mancs and Scousers idiot boy? I have lived in both cities and know that, once again, you are talking utter bollox.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Wat about paul mcgrath???may not have the medals keane has, but probably more important to ireland than keane in the major finals!!also ap mccoy should be on the list as should drico
July 24th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Darragh OSe
5 celtic crosses in the engine room of midfield spanning 3 different kerry teams
Mick O’Connell must be up there
Not 1 gaa player because it is not international? Give me a break…
Paul OConnell and Brian ODriscoll have won 2 heineken cups between them and nothing else (the triple crown is a trophy within a competition)
July 24th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Christ Hattricks against Faroe Islands and Liechtenstein made him top scorer and how many friendlys.I hope he joins Liverpool cause well finally see him as an average player.Torres must be wondering what hes done to deserve this numpty up front with him.Headless Chicken flapping around the place
July 24th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Adam Scott = Idiot Boy
July 24th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
mcgrath would have been the greatest irish footballer ever if he was only able to handle the domestos better
July 24th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
1: Liam Brady
2: Johnny Giles
3: Paul McGrath
4: Dennis Irwin
5: Noel Cantwell
Roy Keane’s not even in the top 5 Irish footballers, how he can be mentioned on the list above baffles me……………….
July 24th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
There is too many to choose from really,
but the Paul Mcgrath has to be there, his fellow pro’s have put him as one of the toughest defenders to play the game,
or Shay Given, how many times has he saved Ireland in games?, he is our rock,
and also as a whole The Irish Crick Team, the World Cup in the West Indies didn’t give us a chance, they said we had no real right to be there,
one of our top bowlers is a farmer, another a teacher, another who is our Captain, he is a salesman, and they went out there and played with so much heart and passion,
a lot more to be said for the Cricket men than our top Rugby Golden Generation of Rugby players…
July 24th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
sully when robbie keane joins the most sucessful team in english football we will all see that the lad is pure class with great players playing alongside him. it will be hard for all yee mancs to hear us scousers chanting “keano” “keano”
July 24th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
what about george best? last i heard he was born on this island…
July 25th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Stephen Roche… and there can be no question of doping because r-EPO wasn’t even invented then anyway as far as I know.
What about Steve Heighway or Ronnie Whelan? They have individually won as much if not more than Roy. Whelan won 6 leagues 2 FA Cups and 1 European cup. Heighway won 4 leagues, 1 FA Cup, 3 European Cups and 2 Uefa Cups. That says it all I think.
P.s. I dislike Man U but Roy is NOT a judas. The FAI were to blame, although it’s good to see they have finally got it right employing 2 absolute legends Trap and Tardelli! South Africa here we come!!!!
July 25th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Spud I agree with you. What’s with all this Man U bias?! Leave it out!
July 25th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Just for the record - Keane DID NOT walk out on his country. He was SENT HOME by that sorry excuse for a manager.
Say what you like about Keane but don’t make stuff up - we all know what happened.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
if the question was asked in america then micheal jordan, babe ruth or one of the many american footballer allstars would be mentioned! I think its unfair not to include key sportsmen in Irelands two main sports gaelic football and hurling ie Darragh O’Se or Peter Canavan in football and Henry Sheffelin or DJ Carey in Hurling! Im sorry to say it but I think these individuals have had a bigger influence on Irish sport than Paul O’Connell or Stephen Roche
July 25th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Thats a good point bc but look at it this way. Ask any sports fan in Ireland who Jordan is and they will know. Ask any sports fan in the US who Shefflin and Carey are and they wont have a clue. My point being you cant really make the comparison you are trying to make.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
larry reilly or the gallant john joe.savage
July 25th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
How could “The Chairman of the Boards” Eamon Coghlan not be in the “running” for this and surely Barry McGuigan must have fought his way into consideration when the bell is sounded at the end of this round. Ted Walsh for not only been the best Irish amateur jockey but he must get a gold ribbon for getting paid for “Funny Tele Talk”. They all have made us smile and cry, winners all!!!!
July 25th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
what about barney curley?
July 25th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Michelle Smith won besides the Olympic medals also a number of European medals/titels. People seem to forget that.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Adam, you can up that bet as far as you want lad
July 26th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Look at this list of major acheivements!!!
Sean Kelly is the greatest ever Irish Sportsperson - I rest my case below.
Grand Tour record
1978 - Tour de France: 34th GC; Stage 6
1979 - Tour de France: 38th GC
1979 - Vuelta a España: Stage 1 and 5
1980 - Tour de France: 29th GC; Stage 19 and 21;
1980 - Vuelta a España: Stage 1, 2, 14, 17 and 19
1981 - Tour de France: 48th GC; Stage 17
1982 - Tour de France: 15th GC; points classification winner; Stage 13
1983 - Tour de France: 7th GC; points classification winner;
1984 - Tour de France: 5th GC;
1985 - Tour de France: 4th GC; points classification winner;
1985 - Vuelta a España: Stage 2, 9 and 15
1986 - Vuelta a España: Stage 10 and 13
1987 - Tour de France: did not finish
1987 - Vuelta a España: Stage 1 and 3
1988 - Tour de France: 46th GC;
1988 - Vuelta a España: 1st GC; points classification winner; Stage 11 and 20.
1989 - Tour de France: 9th GC; points classification winner;
1990 - Tour de France: 30th GC
1991 - Tour de France: did not finish
1992 - Tour de France: 46th GC
‘Monument’ victories
Milan-Sanremo 1986, 1992
Paris-Roubaix 1984, 1986
Liège-Bastogne-Liège 1984, 1989
Giro di Lombardia 1983, 1985, 1991 (also won amateur version in 1976)
Other ‘classics’
Blois-Chaville - 1984 (this race has more commonly been run as Paris-Tours)
GP Plouay - 1984
Gent-Wevelgem - 1988
Grand Prix des Nations - 1986
Tour du Haut Var - 1982
Criterium des As - 1984, 1985, 1986
GP d’Isbergues - 1983
Paris-Bourges - 1984
Stage race victories
Vuelta a España (1988)
Paris-Nice (1982-1988) (7 consecutive wins, a record)
Tour de Suisse (1983, 1990)
Volta a Catalunya (1984, 1986)
Vuelta al País Vasco (1984, 1986, 1987)
Critérium International (1983, 1984, 1987)
Setmana Catalana (1988)
Three Days of De Panne (1980)
Nissan International Classic (1985, 1986, 1987, 1991)
July 26th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Denis Irwin!! The ultimate pro.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Lyncho by any chance are you Sean Kelly?
July 26th, 2008 at 10:55 am
gfo and magic m, first to gfo…. whether or not brian o driscoll is ur pick or not, he has won nothing of note with this irish team, they have won nothing of note… they have let themselves down… and magic m, u walk into a bar in america and ask doe sanyone know christy ring or mick o connell, u will get ur fair share of hands… what do we care about michael jordan
July 26th, 2008 at 10:59 am
bc … u r spot on… us irish always look to foreign games for our heroes…all these gaa men and women alike visit our kids schools every day of the week to promote the national games…and by the way all ye utd biased articles, roy keane is an absolute gentleman off the pitch, has done more than we will ever know, but he did leave us down when a world cup was there for the taking…
July 26th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Just to clear it up eamonn i was not in any way speaking badly about the legends of our national game. And yes you will get a few handshakes over there but in relation to the entire population it will be very small indeed. My point was that you can make the comparison that bc was trying to make. Jordan is a global superstar, gaa players are not and never will be, its as simple as that.
Iv no problem with people picking gaa stars as their greatest Irish sportsperson. Again all i stated is that you cant be making the comparison bc was making.
I didnt wanna get dragged into the whole Keane debate but i have to say he never let us down. His strive for perfection and professionalism ultimately led to the problems.
Plus i have to say this talk of a World Cup for the taking is nonsense. Yes we may have got a few stages further but at that time there was not a team alive that was anywhere near the level of Brazil.
July 26th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Where is AP McCoy??????
He has to be in any list. Keane was great but I reckon Pat Bonner deserves a mention. Also, Steve Collins was the only man to defeat Chris Eubank at his peak.
July 26th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Whoever is saying drico, i’ve a leinster season ticket, the guys a tosser, he doesnt deserve to be on the list.
still want a fair few more GAA players though
July 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Shut your fookin’ mouths, ye langers, i’ll batter the lot of ye!!
July 26th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
George best not in your list, but even so padraig always has an irish smile whether hitting an eagle or double bogey.
great man
July 26th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
McLovin u ask a question and then you answer it yourself cause no one answers back how sad is that.Rebel what is your problem I can take all the slating you can throw at me so carry on
July 27th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Claire Tully who is the first Irish Page Three Girl - now thats what Icall a good Sport
July 27th, 2008 at 10:53 am
where am i on the list?
July 28th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
gotta be PP himself after seeing his majestic horse skills at Galway. never would have imagined he’d look so good in lipstick either!
July 28th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
In all the posts, perhaps because of lack of irish sporting knowledge, a glaring omission has been left out, to reach the top and beat the world’s best in your chosen field is the sign of the ultimate champion, to do it once is legendary, to do it twice is in the realms of sporting immortality, Dr. Pat o Callaghan won the olympic hammer final in 1928 and 1932, back to back olympic champion, no teammates, no omissions, no tarnishing, no contest, Dr. Pat O Callaghan is ireland’s greatest sportsperson, ar dheis de go raibh an anam.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
keane wasnt half the player that paul mcgrath was. keane had no manners on the pitch, just ask alfie, not much of a manager either,just bought diouf
July 29th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Wonder what Spud makes of Liverpools latest aquisition.For the sake of the Irish team I hope he does well but I cant see where hel fit in .Does this mean that they will abandon Gerrard playing off Torres and have a midfield of Masherano Gerrard Babel Kuyt with Keane and Torres up front and abandon signing Barry or will Keane play up front when Torres is rested or will he be asked to play wide.Good move for him wages wise and he gets to play in Champs League but could he turn out like Duff at Chelsea.Apparently hes one of the most expensive players ever with regards total transfer but with the likes of Anelka and Veron up their with him hardly something for the CV.What you think Pool Fans
July 29th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Not convinced Sully at all, in Rafa we trust though!
July 29th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I am warming to the idea of him in a red shirt - he has the potential to act as a great link up man between Gerrard and Torres and is infinitely more talented than both Kuyt and Crouch. Being a fan he should bring a bit of passion to the role and passion is never something you hold accuse the previous holder of the famous number 7 jersey of. Roll on August 16th!!!
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Tim the toolman-
So your idea of a sorry excuse of a manager is one that gets a country with a population of 4mil to the world cup last 16, even with out its so called best palyer.
The fact remains that Roy Keane was/is nothing more than a common thug who was desperate to succeed at something.
I’m not going to argue that he wasn’t a great player but this was as a result of his determination and concentration, not skill which in my opinion is a quality that “Great Sportspersons” must have.
Roy Keane might have the greatest defensive minded, holding midfield player Ireland has ever produced but Greatest Sportsperson?… not even close.
…and don’t even get me started on that blob they call Paul McConnell.
August 7th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
What about waterford crystle, olypic gold… briefly.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
These polls are irrelevent as people only vote for the person fresh in their head. If this poll was taken after Sonia’s silver in Sydney she would be getting all the votes, or if it was done straight after Munsters Heineken Cup win, O’Connoll would get more votes.
Its reminisent of a poll taken in the UK straight after the Rugby World Cup win in 2003. It asked what was the greater win, 1966 or 2003. 80% of people said 2003. Ridiculous!
And why on earth is Sean Kelly not on the shortlist??? Over 200 career wins, ranking him the 4th most successful cyclist of all time. He was far superior to Stephen Roche.
Sonia O’Sullivan gets my vote in any case.