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Irelands greatest ever sportsman -Sean Kelly

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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,952 ✭✭✭funnights74


    Jaysus talk about opening a can of worms!! lol. Most cyclists would pick kelly but you have opened the floodgates.


  • Registered Users Posts: 506 ✭✭✭531


    Well who else are you expecting votes for on a cycling forum?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭happytramp


    Yeah right! Apparently you've never heard of someone called Roy Keane.....


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,075 Mod ✭✭✭✭BTH


    happytramp wrote: »
    Yeah right! Apparently you've never heard of someone called Roy Keane.....

    He's not even our best footballer ever. Pipe down.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,600 ✭✭✭happytramp


    He's not even our best footballer ever. Pipe down.

    ;)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 14 Neville Bartos


    Very few Irish sportsmen have achieved as much international success as Sean Kelly achieved in his career, especially in an individual sport and potentially the toughest sport in the world at that. The guy's records basically anwser the question..nine monument classics, and 193 professional race wins in total. Also internationally he is regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time..we have not many sportsmen who are as widely hailed as being one of the best sportsmen in the world in their given field. Roy Keane great footballer but definatley not one of the greatest players of all time..Maybe for Ireland but not in the worldwide game..Kelly was and is looked upon as one of the greatest cyclists in the world ever!...


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,952 ✭✭✭funnights74


    And dont get the rugby guys started on o driscoll and o gara and their likes, the horse racing fraternity will have a few jockeys names to add to the mix as well. And oh christ the golfers are on a roll now that i think of it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 Neville Bartos


    http://listverse.com/2009/05/08/top-10-best-road-cycle-racers-of-all-time/

    In what other sport would you see an irishman so far up in the all time list?..I honestly cant think of any irish sports person who would be that far up in an all time list in their given sport..


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 76,044 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    George Best;)

    (and there's a lot more competition in football)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,952 ✭✭✭funnights74


    He's in illustrious company there. Breathtaking.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,663 ✭✭✭Cork24


    What about

    Paul O C ?
    Keith Wood, etc etc

    Lets face it Sean Kelly in my mind was on stuff and well of every Single person back in his day..


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 Neville Bartos


    George Best..He's not really irish tho is he..His career wasnt long enough anyway..How do you mean there is more competition in football?. The tour de france for example covers more than 3,600 kilometres (2,200 mi) and lasts three weeks. The number of teams usually varies between 20 and 22, with nine riders in each..All this in probably the most physically demanding sport in the world..not as much competiton?..ya right!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,156 ✭✭✭✭Pherekydes


    This is silly.

    I thought it was agreed it was Padraig Harrington's caddy or the guy who trains horses?


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 Neville Bartos


    cork 24 in comparison with other cyclists such as Armstrong and Indurain, Kelly's name is very very rarely mentioned with drugs.. Paul o'c or wood ya were and are good players but would you find their names in the top 5 Rugby players of ALL TIME...Not a hope of it..O'Driscoll maybe but not o'Connell or wood..great players all the same tho..


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 76,044 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    How many professional cyclists are there? Let's keep it simple - how many are there that are Irish

    How many professional footballers are there that are Irish?

    As I said, there's more competition ....

    Anyway, it's simply not meaningful to try and compare across different sports - I would accept Kelly is almost certainly by most measures the greatest Irish cyclist ever....


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 Neville Bartos


    Pherydykes..you thought it was agreed?..haha..By who RTE?.....Its an opinion..


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭Esroh


    Well at the same time Sk was doing his thing. 2 other Irishmen would have been seen as at the top of their sport. And both would have results at World Championships to match SKs
    Eamon Coughlan was dominating the indoor track scene and was a serious force outdoors.
    And I know you may say its the Horse but Eddie Macken was regarded in the Showjumping World as the best in the world during the same era.(And he also had to do it the hardway by working his way up the ladder with results gaining him better horses as he went on. (The family did not have the money to set him up)

    So both of the above would have the results in high numbers against the best the world had to offer

    As for toughness of a sport its all relevent.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 Neville Bartos


    Cycling is an individual sport wheras football is a team sport so of course you will have more competitors.....I dont think that should come into the debate anyway..im talking about quality not quantity..and if you break it down into quality and the amount of international success any irish sports man has had, Kelly is probably at the top..


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,615 ✭✭✭Hail 2 Da Thief


    It's clearly Henry Shefflin! ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,131 ✭✭✭Dermot Illogical


    It's clearly Henry Shefflin! ;)

    Who's that?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 662 ✭✭✭fran oconnor


    Drico for me is the best then Kelly, Roche. My favourite sports person though is Paul McGrath.


  • Registered Users Posts: 623 ✭✭✭J Madone


    He is not called King Kelly by mistake!:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,156 ✭✭✭✭Pherekydes


    It's clearly Henry Shefflin! ;)

    I wonder what he could have achieved if he'd been born across the border in Carlow. I'm guessing not much without his 14 Kilkenny teammates.

    Likewise Best or any other team player. How would Best have fared with Crewe? Or Keano if he'd stayed at Forest?


  • Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 76,044 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Cycling is an individual sport wheras football is a team sport so of course you will have more competitors.....I dont think that should come into the debate anyway..im talking about quality not quantity..and if you break it down into quality and the amount of international success any irish sports man has had, Kelly is probably at the top..

    Are you telling me there weren't 8 other HTC riders helping Cav win in Paris?

    TBH, it's a completely meaningless discussion:rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 332 ✭✭mick121


    ireland has many true world class stars,all of whom deserve respect.the greatest however may depend on the age and sports interest of people.its hard to beat eamon coughlan in my opinion,but lets not forget wee barry mcguighan,steve collins and more recently katie taylor.as for soccer too many to mention.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Gene Tunney. World Heavyweight champion with 2 wins over Jack Dempsey. 65-1 (recorded) as a pro. Amateur, Katie Taylor.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,704 ✭✭✭squod


    Very few Irish sportsmen have achieved as much international success as Sean Kelly achieved in his career

    Disagree entirely.


    World Powerlifting Champion - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
    European Powerlifting Champion - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
    Current world record holder

    I'm sure there's more examples of sporting excellence I'm not aware of.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭themandan6611


    no, has to be Stephen Roche as the best cyclist - he won the treble - including the big one and the other one Kelly could never win.

    two amazing cyclists (along with Martin) - its been a long 20 odd years since we had the like.....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,663 ✭✭✭Cork24


    squod wrote: »
    Very few Irish sportsmen have achieved as much international success as Sean Kelly achieved in his career

    Disagree entirely.


    World Powerlifting Champion - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
    European Powerlifting Champion - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
    Current world record holder

    I'm sure there's more examples of sporting excellence I'm not aware of.


    Once again a drug riddled sport weight lifting and cycling...

    Come on do you really think some one could do a speed of 35 going up hills and do around 85 down them and 45 on the flat roads with out the use of epo ? I don't think so.

    How Many cyclist will we hear found using drugs during this year tof ?

    Sure why not put Michelle Smith down their as well Since were putting all time irish drug.users in our top sports stars

    Were nothing but cheats we talk about China and Russia using drugs Every gold medal we won in the olympics seem to have being using drugs.

    Even our horse forget his name. Was on the dam things


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,533 ✭✭✭Vizzy


    Cork24 wrote: »
    Once again a drug riddled sport weight lifting and cycling...

    Come on do you really think some one could do a speed of 35 going up hills and do around 85 down them and 45 on the flat roads with out the use of epo ? I don't think so.

    How Many cyclist will we hear found using drugs during this year tof ?

    Sure why not put Michelle Smith down their as well Since were putting all time irish drug.users in our top sports stars

    Were nothing but cheats we talk about China and Russia using drugs Every gold medal we won in the olympics seem to have being using drugs.

    Even our horse forget his name. Was on the dam things

    What about Cian O Connor so !

    He never used drugs,the horse did :):)


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