"Ireland's Greatest"

[The Fly]

RTE has commissioned a series along the lines of the BBC's "Great Britons", to find out who, we the public think, is the greatest Irish person ever. They got Ipsos MRBI to conduct a survey of the Irish public asking them this same question. Below are the top forty names from that survey in alphabetical order.

The Top 5, as nominated by voters, will then become the subject of one of five brand new hour-long documentaries, each charting the individual's impact and contribution to Irish life, as interpreted and championed by a well-known personality. This series of documentaries will be broadcast this September on RTÉ One. Once these documentaries have aired, the public will again be given the opportunity to reassess which person actually deserves the accolade of Ireland's Greatest.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/irelandsgreatest/

Bono
Dr. Noel Browne
Michael Collins
James Connolly
Éamon De Valera
Joe Dolan (sweet Jesus!)
Ronnie Drew
Colin Farrell (head in hands)
Garret Fitzgerald
Stephen Gately (This is getting embarrasing!)
Bob Geldof
Padraig Harrington
Charles Haughey
Séamus Heaney
John Hume
James Joyce
John B Keane
Roy Keane
Ronan Keating (Fcuk me!)
Séan Lemass
Jack Lynch
Phil Lynott
Paul McGrath
Christy Moore
Liam Neeson (nahh!)
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Donnell
Brian O'Driscoll
Michael O'Leary (he'll probably get passengers to vote for him at the check-in desk!)
John O'Shea
Sonia O'Sullivan
Charles Stewart Parnell
Pádraig Pearse
Christy Ring
Mary Robinson
Adi Roche (head in feet)
Wolfe Tone
Louis Walsh :poo:
Oscar Wilde
WB Yeats

------------------

Christ almighty - that list makes embarrassing reading. Democracy is over-rated!

Off the top of my head, here's some of the figures that I think, should have been on it;

Robert Emmett,
George Best,
Van Morrison,
Brendan Beha,n
Robert Boyle,
Ernest Walton,
Jonathan Swift,
Sean O'Casey,
Samuel Beckett,
Edmund Burke,
William Rowan Hamilton,
St. Patrick,
St. Columba,
Oliver Plunkett,
St. Brigid,
Arthur Guinness. ;)
and finally,................the original "defector" - Darron Gibson. :laugh:



I think the poll closes soon, so.........GET VOTING!

[Bluebeard]

Good list of "missing people" there, The Fly. Emmett and Boyle would have been in my 5 and Walton was close. The big names I would add on a short think would be Rory Gallagher, Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. There would be arguments for Ronnie Delaney and Eamon Coughlan too but not as strong, similar for Bram Stoker, wrote the worlds most read fiction book, and was continually using his influence and connections to lobby for assistance for Ireland. Commodore John Barry as founder of the US navy would probably get more acclaim from abroad than ever in Ireland.

It is amazing that none of the saints were included - mine not being a religious standpoint some of them as real people made a significant impact on the world. Columcille / Columba pulling strings through Europe, and St. Brendan's voyage allegedly part of the inspiration to Columbus. I am sure that I will kick myself when I see some of the names I missed

The more I look at that RTÉ list from the general public, the more surprised that Uncle Gay or Gerry Ryan are not on it. Tintin Keating and Gately, FFS. At least Mikey was in Fatal Deviation. There is certainly more of a reason to included he detestable Tony O'Reilly than Mick O'Leary too. It does sap faith in the Irish public when you see some of those names listed.

Mine from the list would be (in alphabetical order):
Noel Brown
James Connolly
Bob Geldof*
James Joyce
John B Keane (as a social and cultural historian as much as a writer documenting an Ireland antithetical to Joyce's now almost vanished)*

*Before I saw the list I had already added Boyle and Emmett, and needed to find replacements, Walton was the 6th man.

[Magicme]

Missing out on Monaghan altogether there, where are Barry McGuigan, Pat McCabe, Patrick Kavanagh?

McGuigan not only brought the excitement of winning a world title but also went on to be one of the best loved boxing commentators and tv personalities and is as worthy of a place there as any other man or woman.

McCabe is not only one of the most exquiste modern writers but also has had his books made into amazing movies.

And Kavanagh is one of the literary giants of this country and one of Irelands best loved characters. His eloquence when speaking on the mundane no doubt inspired the likes of Heaney.

[Aberdonian Stu]

The absence of TK Whitaker is a tad insane as well. While our economy is now an utter mess he's essentially the reason we once had an economy.

[Mr A]

Daniel O Donnell, Gately and Keating in ahead of Rory Gallagher? Sweet Jesus.

Roche and Kelly have to be in there from the sports side as well.

Charles Haughey? What the f**k? That's even more depressing than the Boyzone ones!

Incidentally- totally disagree about Patrick Kavanagh, always thought his stuff was a load of irritating, boring ********.

[A N Mouse]

Dave Allen
Harry Ferguson
Richard Harris

Even Tim O'Reilly should be ahead of a good few of those actually listed

I think we should have a list for the most sanctimonious Irish person *click*

[osarusan]

Incidentally- totally disagree about Patrick Kavanagh, always thought his stuff was a load of irritating, boring ********.Heathen.

[thischarmingman]

No B*witched?

[don ramo]

what about michelle smith, 3 olympic gold medals dont carry as much weight as they used to,

also surprised michael flatley isnt mentioned,

how do you determine this, ireland has given so much to the world, its almost shamefull to have a top 5, youd need a top 100 to do what the irish people have given the world any justice,

[Spudulika]

Since the other half went to see Ronan Keating last night and reckons he's wonderful I'll have to say he's a global brand a has morphed from boyband star to genuine international star - he's even big in Mexico. Gately though, hmm, no, too easy.

St. Brigid is a mythical character who never actually existed (she's a composite of a pagan goddess and christian convert) though according to the annals performed abortions and magic tricks, so have to knock her on the head, and St. Patrick was Romano-British so a bit of a Flatley-Day-Lewis there.

Agree with Magicme on Wee Barry, not only did he do more for cross-border and sectarian healing that any of the clowns who took the glory for it, he beat one of the all-time greats, beat the very best in his weight class and during a dreadful time in Ireland gave us reason to be proud and hope.

I would add Lewis Carroll except he was born in GB, but surely the list had to include Irish who made their mark abroad - William Brown (Argentina), William Lamport (Mexico), Saint Gall (Switzerland) and Darcy McGee (Canada). Any of these type of "votes" are as bad as seeing jedward last to the end of a talent competition. I gave my vote to Oscar Wilde, especially since his father should be on the list as well, if for no other reason than he was a genius and philanderer.

[osarusan]

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. A great military commander.

[Spudulika]

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. A great military commander.

Look over his history Osarusan, he was a good commander, not a great commander. I liked him in Blackadder but still wouldn't vote for him, even if his nieces were tasty.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Where's yer wan who rolled a seven after snorting some dodgy gear a while back? She did have our then Taoiseachs Aide de Camp at her service after all. Though ...she was a constituent.

[Mr A]

Here's the top ten. There's a few dodgy ones but Stephen Gately really takes the biscuit. Is there really anyone out there that reckons he's the greatest Irish person ever? I'm hoping this is just a lot of people being ironic, I really am.


The Ten Greatest

(in alphabetical order)

1 Bono (1960 – )

2 Noel Browne (1915 – 1997)

3 Michael Collins (1890 – 1922)

4 James Connolly (1868 – 1916)

5 Stephen Gately (1976 – 2009)

6 John Hume (1937 – )

7 Phil Lynott (1951 - 1986)

8 Pádraig Pearse (1879 – 1916)

9 Mary Robinson (1944 – )

10 Adi Roche (1955 – )

[OwlsFan]

Of that lot, I'd probably go for John Hume, one of the founders of the Civil Rights Movement and despite the bloodshed and murder going on around him, never lost his dignity or belief in peaceful means.

[Dodge]

These things are always silly so why not have Gately in there. Once the public are involved all sense goes out the window.

My list of greatest Irishpeople (who haven't been involved with Pats...) would probably include Dave Allen, Sean Kelly, James Connolly, WB Yeats and Robert Emmet

My list of Irish people I'd love to punch in the face includes bono

[bennocelt]

what about michelle smith, 3 olympic gold medals dont carry as much weight as they used to,


also surprised michael flatley isnt mentioned,

how do you determine this, ireland has given so much to the world, its almost shamefull to have a top 5, youd need a top 100 to do what the irish people have given the world any justice,


That any the child abuse we liked to export
Calm down, we are not that well loved abroad, as much as we like to think we are..............

G Best should be on the list anyway
Would give it to Connolly, or larkin (is he on the list)
But seriously...........................Louis Walsh and Joe Dolan...............:excruciating:

[don ramo]

That any the child abuse we liked to export
Calm down, we are not that well loved abroad, as much as we like to think we are..............

G Best should be on the list anyway
Would give it to Connolly, or larkin (is he on the list)
But seriously...........................Louis Walsh and Joe Dolan...............:excruciating:

this isnt for the world, this is for us, and i dont recall naming the church,

[centre mid]

Chippy Devlin should be near the top.

[Spudulika]

Here's the top ten. There's a few dodgy ones but Stephen Gately really takes the biscuit. Is there really anyone out there that reckons he's the greatest Irish person ever? I'm hoping this is just a lot of people being ironic, I really am.

Isn't Connolly Scottish? Or is this one of those things like the two Glasgow teams are supposedly representative of the two main cultures on this island?

Adi Roche I'm back, Mary Robinson too (especially for her pre-Presidential efforts to both modernise our laws and save our history), John Hume is a good pick, so too Noel Browne, and Bono is recognisable the world over. But Pearse? Lynott and Gately? Michael Collins is a stretch and a great case of hindsight improving the view. Where are the writers and actors? Surely Wilde, Joyce and Neeson deserved to get in the final 10.

[pineapple stu]

He was born in Scotland of Irish parents (mad wikipedia fact - his father shovelled **** for a living). I wouldn't have a problem with people like him (or Phil Lynott or Paul McGrath) being included.

I'll row in behind other criticisms, particularly Gately. No offence to the lad, but anyone who was responsible for him getting onto the final ten should be harmed physically.

[Longfordian]

I'm surprised Dustin the Turkey didn't make it.

[old git]

I'm surprised Dustin the Turkey didn't make it.

and no terry wogan ??

[Mr A]

and no terry wogan ??

He failed the drugs test, out of it on goof balls.

[Bluebeard]

Good to see 60-70% of the list, particularly Browne and Connolly in 2 and 3.

[Battery Rover]

Good to see 60-70% of the list, particularly Browne and Connolly in 2 and 3.

Agree

It shows the problems with internet voting when you see Bono, Stephen Gately, Joe Dolan etc even to be spoken of in the same breath as some of the Patriots in that list.

[Dodge]

He failed the drugs test, out of it on goof balls.

So how did Geldof and Bono make it? ;)

[Wolfie]

He failed the drugs test, out of it on goof balls.

Yeah - same for yer man, Michelle Smith.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Went for Geldof myself. The man has really dedicated his life to making the world a better place and has made a difference, though not yet near as much a difference he would like to.

[osarusan]

Went for Geldof myself. The man has really dedicated his life to making the world a better place and has made a difference, though not yet near as much a difference he would like to.

I'd rephrase it as "he has made a difference, though not yet near as much a difference as he'd like people to believe he has."

[thischarmingman]

Public polls like this are largely useless but I might as well row in and say that anyone who thinks Stephen Gately should be in that list rather than James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift or Edmund Burke are absolute mentalists. It's a travesty none of the above made the cut by the way. Hell, Graham Linehan is far worthier than any of Ireland's pop exports of the last decade.

Interesting the number of people who put Emmett in- brave and idealistic sure, but also a rather misguided, ill-prepared, over-hasty revolutionary, no?

Not the biggest fan of Geldof, for what it's worth he's getting a bit of a kicking in the UK press at the moment (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/05/geldof-arrogance-poverty-agenda-starsuckers). I'd accept his inclusion on the basis of Live Aid though.

John Hume, Ronnie Drew and Rory Gallagher I have no problems with either, although I see only Hume made the top 10. I'd also happily argue Gay Byrne's case and if (in the interests of TV) we're making the list as inclusive of as many disciplines as possible, George Best and Roy Keane would have to be there. Neither would be near my first choice though. There's a case for Eddie Irvine too, but again, nowhere near the top 10 Irish people of all time.

[SkStu]

Bono
Dr. Noel Browne
Michael Collins
James Connolly
Éamon De Valera
Joe Dolan (sweet Jesus!)
Ronnie Drew
Colin Farrell (head in hands)
Garret Fitzgerald
Stephen Gately (This is getting embarrasing!)
Bob Geldof
Padraig Harrington
Charles Haughey
Séamus Heaney
John Hume
James Joyce
John B Keane
Roy Keane
Ronan Keating (Fcuk me!)
Séan Lemass
Jack Lynch
Phil Lynott
Paul McGrath
Christy Moore
Liam Neeson (nahh!)
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Donnell
Brian O'Driscoll
Michael O'Leary (he'll probably get passengers to vote for him at the check-in desk!)
John O'Shea
Sonia O'Sullivan
Charles Stewart Parnell
Pádraig Pearse
Christy Ring
Mary Robinson
Adi Roche (head in feet)
Wolfe Tone
Louis Walsh :poo:
Oscar Wilde
WB Yeats

I'll go with John O'Shea for making it out of Waterford.

[Stevo Da Gull]

I'd rephrase it as "he has made a difference, though not yet near as much a difference as he'd like people to believe he has."

I think he himself referred to his efforts to in Africa as a failure. I'm not in love with his personality, but the good far outweighs the bad. Some of the others mentioned in that list have contributed quite little in comparison.

[pineapple stu]

Hell, Graham Linehan is far worthier than any of Ireland's pop exports of the last decade.
Which made me remember Dermot Morgan, who's also nowhere near as good as Stephen Gately.

[Lionel Ritchie]

I'd rephrase it as "he has made a difference, though not yet near as much a difference as he'd like people to believe he has."

Ah Osasuran you can do better than that. I don't always agree with his perspective and the Big Breakfast is unforgivable but the guy basically gave up his career to do that which was in his power to do to help. If only half a dozen genuinely powerful political leaders did similar you'd solve a lot of the worlds problems I daresay.

Met him once actually - great guy to chat to. He asks a question and he's genuinely interested in your answer -It's a quality I find rare enough.

[thischarmingman]

He asks a question and he's genuinely interested in your answer -It's a quality I find rare enough.

Maybe you're really boring?













:p

[Lionel Ritchie]

There's no maybe about it TCM. I'm a whingey fecker with it. More credit to him. :)

[bennocelt]

in fairness to the boyzone ones just because you dont like their music dosnt mean they've done nothing for ireland. them and especialy westlife have done alot musically for the country for the last 12 years now


Please tell me you are joking.......................:confused:

[A N Mouse]

in fairness to the boyzone ones just because you dont like their music dosnt mean they've done nothing for ireland. them and especialy westlife have done alot musically for the country for the last 12 years now

Made people realise how underappreciated Foster and Allen were?

[Lionel Ritchie]

...or at least expand on that statement a bit. I don't see how either "band" have "done a lot for Ireland" in any sense -least of all musically. Nothing to do with my personal taste either. I gravely doubt many who've been to see Westlife, watched their vids or listened to the recordings they were partially involved in came away from the experience and said "Y'know what ...I must visit Ireland".

As for musically - I can't imagine Boyzone or Westlife would sound much different if they were from Argentina, Indonesia or Indo-China. There's little inherently Irish about them that way either -so no kudos on that front.

I can't even see a minor trickle down in terms of their effect on other Irish-origin purveyors of bland lifeless homogenised pop music to be straight about it.

[Paddy Garcia]

Where the **** is Shane MacGowan ?

[Stevo Da Gull]

If I had to guess.. I'd say he's in the pub.