Who are the most fascinating indiivudals in Irish life?

Affable

Present, and past? Just curious

me_right_one

Where to begin?

Mick Collins
Dev
Fionn McCumhail
Cu Chullain
Sean Lemass
Adams
McGuinness
The O'Neills and O'Donnells
Ray D'Arcy

Affable

me_right_one wrote: »

Where to begin?

Mick Collins
Dev
Fionn McCumhail
Cu Chullain
Sean Lemass
Adams
McGuinness
The O'Neills and O'Donnells
Ray D'Arcy

Can you tell me more about them?

Are there many non-known people in Ireland who are equally fascinating?

me_right_one

These are just the people I find facinating, others may have different views. I could tell you loads, but just not this minute. There are plenty of local poets and IRA men who will go down in legend in their locality, but are not well known outside of that.
Do you mind me asking, why are you interested? Are you Irish? Just curious to know:p

starn

Noel Browne

Affable

me_right_one wrote: »

These are just the people I find facinating, others may have different views. I could tell you loads, but just not this minute. There are plenty of local poets and IRA men who will go down in legend in their locality, but are not well known outside of that.
Do you mind me asking, why are you interested? Are you Irish? Just curious to know:p

I was just interested. I'm English. But the Irish immigrants seem to have amade a big impact on our culture.

Dades

Bono and Sir Bob, spring to mind.

Quentinkrisp

Noel Browne

+1:)

Affable

Dades wrote: »

Bono and Sir Bob, spring to mind.

I hate them both tbh, Bono more. I think he's a highly intelligent man, that said. I just think he's nothing but a machiavellian.

WinstonSmith

Ray Darcy???

Are ya being serious?

Bottle_of_Smoke

Modern Ireland I'd go with Michael O' Leary.

me_right_one

WinstonSmith wrote: »

Ray Darcy???

Are ya being serious?

Yes. Why?

lynski

Senator David Norris
Adi Roche
Ali Hewson (Bono's Wife)

lol ray darcy.

peasant

These two would rank fairly high in my esteem:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Crean_(explorer)

WinstonSmith

me_right_one wrote: »

Yes. Why?

He's a radio presenter isn't he?

Greyfox

Michael Collins and Roy Keane, the two greatest Irishmen ever!

994

Robert Boyle, founder of chemistry.
Oscar Wilde
Patrick Kavanagh
Samuel Beckett
James Joyce
CJ Haughey
Andrew Robinson Stoney, a notorious adventurer- inspiration for "Barry Lyndon"
Gráinne Ní Mháille (Granuaile)
Ernest Walton who split the atom.

mikemac

Arthur Wellesly

chughes

Gay Byrne for his many discussions over the years on the Late Late Show about topics which would seem laughable now but were serious then. Remember, Ireland in 60's/70's/80's was a different country.

WindSock

Sinead O' Connor - Standing up against clerical child abuse when the world were clueless about the goings on and still worshipped all things church, to the detriment of her career.

Mary Robinson - Fighting for womens rights in Ireland, and now human rights worldwide.

Grace O' Malley (Granuille) - A fearless female leader in very much a mans world and yet could hold her own with her most powerful counterpart, Queen Elizabeth.

Tom Crean - I saw the play, it touched me (in a non physical way) This boyo from Kerry could survive the most treacherous of journeys, live to tell the tale and return to open up a pub in his hometown.

Oscar Wilde - I would love to chat with him. A very witty man.

Cannibal Ox

Present
Brian Friel
Mary Robinson

Past
Henry Grattan
George Berkeley

Technically-not-Irish-but-Irish-American-but-still-worth-knowing
Chuck Feeney

I don't get the Michael Collins thing, can anybody recommend a good book on him?

Joey the lips

Joe Cahill
Martin McGuniness
Gerry Adams

DavidMcWilliams

Ray Mc Sharry

Coriolanus

Affable wrote: »

I just think he's nothing but a machiavellian.

You sya that like it's a bad thing!


Our current president, she's really raised in my estimations after referring the Defamation and Criminal Justice bills back to the Council of State. About the only modern politician, along with Norris, with balls when it counts. (Funny that.)

Historically, Michael Collins has always struck me as the most interesting of the revolutionaries of centuries past.

Cannibal Ox wrote: »

I don't get the Michael Collins thing, can anybody recommend a good book on him?

The Tim Pat Coogan book on Collins is good. If all you know of him is a bit of First Year history and the Neeson film, it's a great introduction. He's a far more multi-faceted than "Minister for Gun-Running, Daylight Robbery and General Mayhem".

netwhizkid

Joe Higgins not a fan of his leftwing politics but love his remarks and the way he exposed Bertie Ahern for the scum he and FF are when they could do no wrong with "da bildings" everywhere.

hoochis

Mario Rosenstock

Eve_Dublin

Aidan Walsh:Master of the Universe

http://www.aidanwalsh.com/

seahorse

WindSock wrote: »

Sinead O' Connor - Standing up against clerical child abuse when the world were clueless about the goings on and still worshipped all things church, to the detriment of her career.

+ 1

She never got the credit she deserved for that.