Greatest Irish Sportsperson of all time

[bennocelt]

bennocelt, give it a rest already.

Ok, fair enuff

[Bluebeard]

Memory is hazy on this but I think bad luck conspired to rob Kelly of the Tour of Spain one year? I think he had a cyst and had to drop out of the tour. I remember seeing footage of Kelly finally having to give up the ghost on that tour, in absolute agony and in tears as he had to drop out.

Your memory is on the mark. He was leading and looked comfortable there in 1987, something like 3 or 4 days before the finish. This was a little more than a week before Roche started the Giro he went on to win. Kelly won it the next year though, had been fouth and fifth before that. He still has won the points jersey in Spain more times than anyone else (just like the TDF, if Zabel hadn't been on incredibly powerful drugs).

[The Fly]

Well he was born in britain?

Who was born in Britain?
(unless it has escaped your attention - Northern Ireland is not in Britain)

[pineapple stu]

As mentioned before, can we leave the petty British/Irish stuff aside please?

[bennocelt]

Who was born in Britain?
(unless it has escaped your attention - Northern Ireland is not in Britain)

Sorry you are right, silly me...........I mean the United Kingdom

Are cycling, snooker, motor biking and horse racing the only sports Ireland have had serious world beaters?
Its a little pathetic really.........considering we have been playing a lot of sports for 100 years or more and we are always told we are a "sports mad nation". But then the government never put much effort into it all really.

[Billsthoughts]

Memory is hazy on this but I think bad luck conspired to rob Kelly of the Tour of Spain one year? I think he had a cyst and had to drop out of the tour. I remember seeing footage of Kelly finally having to give up the ghost on that tour, in absolute agony and in tears as he had to drop out.

I think the footage you are thinking of is actually Kelly pulling out of tour de france in 87.kas jersey and broken collar bone.

Cant beleive Sonia O Sullivan didnt get a mention so far...to me she is deffo up there with the top Irish sports people of all time.

[Closed Account 2]

Here are some people who have probably slipped under the radar so far:

Neil O'Donoghue, played NFL and football for Drumcondra, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne.

Jack "Nonpareil" Dempsey superb boxer in the late 1800s never really reached his peak as he died of TB aged 33.

Marty Conlon, great Basketball player with the LA clippers or Pat Burke, only Irish born player to have played in the NBA for the Magic 6 or so years ago.

Ger McDonnell, first Irishman to climb to the top of K2 (commonly acknowledged as the hardest mountain in the world to climb) tragically he died on the descent when a shaft of ice fell in an avalaunche cutting the ropes.

Barry McGuigan, Brendan Ingle, or Katie Taylor - she represented Ireland at football and boxing (was world champion last year).

But for me, the answer is Steve Collins:

Total fights 39
Wins 36
Wins by KO 21
Losses 3
Draws 0
No contests 0

A superb fighter.

[DeLorean]

Here are some people who have probably slipped under the radar so far

There's only one worthy man that's slipped under the radar. An achievement that will never be equalled

[old git]

Sorry you are right, silly me...........I mean the United Kingdom

Are cycling, snooker, motor biking and horse racing the only sports Ireland have had serious world beaters?
Its a little pathetic really.........considering we have been playing a lot of sports for 100 years or more and we are always told we are a "sports mad nation". But then the government never put much effort into it all really.

what about boxing we had a few world beaters , athletics / swiming

don't care what sport you win still a great achievement due to serious lack of funding by our wonderfull goverments

[old git]

There's only one worthy man that's slipped under the radar. An achievement that will never be equalled

who is he

[Closed Account 2]

Gary Doherty's dad ?

[DeLorean]

who is he

Teddy McCarthy, only player to win a Hurling and Football All Ireland in the same year, 1990.

I wasn't really serious, great achievement though.

[davey]

Gary Doherty's dad ?

Brilliant

[weecountyman]

Wayne McCullough - was done out of Olympic Gold and with a broken cheekbone to boot. Won a proper world title in his opponents backyard, defended it against top fighters and beat Naseem Hamed clearly but thanks to sky had to lose. Has proved one of the toughest and most likeable fighters in many years.

Billy Bingham - played in the WC and brought NI twice to the finals, the blow out in Windsor can be excused by the fairweather lowlifes who gloried in a thrashing in Dublin.

Steve Collins, great choice Edmundo, beat the best in his division, world titles at 2 weights, robbed in a world title fight and in an EBU one too. Possibly his post-boxing antics count against him.

Michelle DeBruin deserves her place, she fled Ireland's swimming "culture" and re-invented herself. Her times were still well below her accusers (step forward Janet Evans) and she had the mental strength to achieve.

Sonia O'Sullivan, if only she'd found a mental peace earlier she'd have been massive. At her peak she came up against the best and beat them, and lost out in 2 majors to Ma's Army (regardless of drug allegations they were robotically scary) and to a Romanian who not only failed drugs tests before and after but in her autobiography admitted she'd been doping all along.

Catriona McKiernan, amazing runner cross country and just lost it physically on the track, massive in her first marathon and became famous for, well, being unwell in the middle of it.

Our cyclists were heroes in the 80's, it's hard to think that they could have been doped up and while it's easy to say "Sure they were all at it", I worry for their long term health. Kelly seemed a beast of a different colour though and his idea of a "spin" was to cycle to Dublin, drink a pint of milk and cycle home.

Eamonn Coughlan - Master of the Boards, European Champion, falling short in the Olympics. Talks great sense when on TV.

Brendan Ingle - Ringsend boy, has he produced more Champs than any other irish coach? He's certainly the most innovative coach I've ever met with and has done wonders for Sheffield.

[bennocelt]

Michelle DeBruin deserves her place, she fled Ireland's swimming "culture" and re-invented herself. Her times were still well below her accusers (step forward Janet Evans) and she had the mental strength to achieve.

Agree with most of your post, excellent choices in fact (esp Catriona and Wayne)
But De Bruin must have had the drugs in her for a long time before - I mean you really only have to look at her upper body strength - jesus she had a mans physique

[weecountyman]

Agree with most of your post, excellent choices in fact (esp Catriona and Wayne)
But De Bruin must have had the drugs in her for a long time before - I mean you really only have to look at her upper body strength - jesus she had a mans physique

I agree with her physique, but most swimmers who are in full training get that way, however I think she did use some sort of substances, to get to the top you have to (sick as that is). But I wonder if she started when she went to the US on scholarship or when she went to Holland? Or if what she was using was an early creatine? I was shocked last week when 2 team-mates were there loading up on creatine at training, I guess it must make them better.

[Ronan85]

My vote would go to Delaney followed closely by O'Driscoll. Don't think those involved in horse racing should be on the list as its not a real sport and Keane shouldn't be on it as he's a traiter to the country as evidenced by his comments last week.

[MeathDrog]

My vote would go to Delaney followed closely by O'Driscoll. Don't think those involved in horse racing should be on the list as its not a real sport and Keane shouldn't be on it as he's a traiter to the country as evidenced by his comments last week.

Closely by O'Driscoll? Why?

[old git]

My vote would go to Delaney followed closely by O'Driscoll. Don't think those involved in horse racing should be on the list as its not a real sport and Keane shouldn't be on it as he's a traiter to the country as evidenced by his comments last week.

so greatest sportsperson of all time is only based on sports you like..

would not have o driscoll anywere near it ( media hype ) what about keith woods i am not a big rugby fan but used to love watching him play.. personally i think that people involved in horse racing particulary jockeys do not get enough credit/ praise they do it for very liitle money loads of injurys and yet still come back with desire to win.. harrington wins golf tournament we all praise his achievment / ireland win triple crown and o driscoll is the best player in the world ( thought it was a 15 man game ) , boxers / gaa players all get great praise and media coverage when they win .. yet a legend like tony mc coy and even ruby walsh seem to only merit mentions on back pages or sports sections..
my vote would be for george best and ronnie delaney

[old git]

If it were a serious list (and the fact that it was promulgated by RTÉ and features gaelic players and horse trainers means it isn't), Kevin O'Flanagan, Bob Lambert and Lucius Gwynn would be there.

George Best shouldn't be on the list at all, of course, but he must have done some pretty extraordinary things when the cameras were absent, because none of the very extensive footage I've seen of him would place him in the top 50% of players today, unlike Liam Brady or Paul McGrath.

on george best you are joking i hope
brady & mc grath better players an insult to best ...