Ireland's Most Under Appreciated Sporting Achievement

Muahahaha

valoren wrote: »

He never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Neither did Lance Armstrong.

As for the 87 tdf it's a case of did he or didn't he.

Ok so nothing was ever proven. But would it be fair to say that pretty much all riders at the time were on EPO or something similar? Is it pretty much accepted in the sport now? I remember seeing a documentary where even Kimmage admitted to doping on two or three occasions and he was saying it was completely widespread at the time.

There's been so much sh1t pedaled in cycling ('cuse the pun) that you wouldn't know what to believe anymore. Bit of a turn off to what seems a great sport.

SeaFields

Very interesting thread.

My own contribution, on a GAA theme is Cork doing the double in 1990. I was too young to appreciate it myself even, but my father still gives out that the media made very little of it at the time for what was a great achievement for a county. There is probably only a couple of counties remotely in with a chance of doing it every year and the odds are really stacked against it. I remember both sam and liam coming to my primary school the same day. Wish I had been a little older for it to have sunk it and appreciated it.

On the Robbie Keane debate, Im not a huge soccer fan but he seems as divisive as the Saipan incident! I've soccer mad friends who are absolute polar opposites in opinion about him. A genuine question, is his goal scoring for his clubs as good as his record in an Irish jersey? Surely that would be a good indicator for the debate overall?

Peist2007

CrabRevolution wrote: »

I was too young in 1996 to have seen it, but early in my life I saw the replays/videos of the fight and reckoned Mayo were hard done by, even though I'm from Meath.

Unfortunately Mayo lost all my sympathy as I've heard nothing but 20 years of incessant whining from them about it. Its nearly a good thing they never win Sam. If this is how much they go on after they lose the final, imagine if they won it.

I'd say Ireland's most under appreciated sporting achievement is Mayo people's ability to go on about 1996.

Incessant whining? Hardly, that final is more or less forgotten now.

Was there in 1996. Was a surreal two games.

Highflyer13

John Delaney being the first man ever to ask for a country to be included in the world cup as the 33rd team. After all its the thought that counts eh?

Billy86

Nah, Robbie Keane was a very good Premiership player for a good while, but never really a superstar in terms of his goalscoring record - he and Berbatov did make one of the top strike partnerships possibly in all of Europe for a year or two before he went to Liverpool, though. He tended to play more off the main striker at club level though, which was really his best position (and makes his international record more noteworthy if anything), while Berbatov and Jermaine Defoe played slightly more advanced.

vanderlyle

Ken Doherty winning the world snooker title in 1997.

That or eamonn coghlan being the first person over 40 to go sub 4 for the mile.

Manic Moran

Muahahaha wrote: »

Why did the decline happen, did something major change ?

That's actually a good question, and I'm not sure the reason. As near as I can tell, though it started to happen before Irish independence, I think the reason it has declined from Irish memory has been the result of the great firearm confiscation during the Troubles, which murdered even the memory of the shooting tradition in Ireland and now we have pretty much an entire generation of Irish people who have never really known Ireland and shooting to be associated. Without the publicity, and due to the inherent difficulties of getting involved in the sport, there have been fewer people getting into it in the first place. Maybe the lads over on the shooting subforum can fill you in better. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=466

The IRA (Irish Rifle Association) is credited with basically setting up formal shooting sports in the US. In 1873, the IRA, after winning the Wimbledon matches hosted by the British NRA (National Rifle Association) and demolishing the opposition with unheard of scores, issued a transatlantic challenge to Americans. "We'll take on your best." The rules were that the American team had to be of American-born people, shooting American made rifles, the Irish team had to be born on in Ireland and shoot Irish-made rifles (By Rigby, in Dublin). The IRA hadn't been informed of the existence of the American NRA (Only just formed), and had just put out an advert in the paper. The Amateur Rifle Club took up the challenge. The Irish team, accompanied by other dignitaries such as the Lord Mayor of Dublin, showed up in the US in 1874.

This became the US's first international match, attended by thousands of spectators, which the Americans narrowly won, by some innovative technique. (At the time, the 'standard' way of shooting was to lie down, feet towards target and shoot individually. Americans used a more modern position, and shot with a spotter) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_f1TTfqxVUw4/S7H_-ejjKuI/AAAAAAAABCY/v-pM0aTRepQ/s1600/Fulton+in+Position.jpg

The US team came to Dublin (Dollymount, actually) for a re-match the following year, and won again. Successive contests in the US and Ireland until 1880 all saw narrow victories for the US, with both the US and Ireland handily outshooting any English, Scottish and Canadian teams when they showed up.

Ireland are currently the world champions at Centerfire Gallery Rifle, they won in 2013 beating Germany and UK.

thelad95

thelad95 wrote: »

In what way? She actually comes across as a really down-to-earth, hardworking and humble (despite her success). Compare her personality and attitude to that of Conor McGregor who seems like a right knob altogether.

I like McGregor i think he is funny as hell.

Dont be too hard on him, he is involved in a sport that requires a bit of talking yourself up in order to promote and cash in akin to boxing really.

megadodge

Hazys wrote: »

I think Katie Taylor's achievements are way over blown.

Image if Robbie Keane stayed an amateur soccer player and we won every amateur title and award possible twice so we hailed him as the greatest ever Irish athlete and applauded him as the greatest soccer player in the world while we ignored professional soccer players like Ronaldo and Messi? Kind of a bit like Katie Taylor's achievements.

Not to mention Katie Taylor is getting paid like a professional with the grants and advertising money she is getting, beating up on people who actually are completely amateur.

I know women's boxing is slightly different as it was the first time it was ever in the Olympics and she rightly stayed amateur so she could win gold but she is staying amateur for another 4 years to compete in Rio. I think she knows she will possibly make more money being an amateur Olympic hero in Ireland than possibly take a chance of going professional and turning out to be average and forgotten. Not saying she doesn't have the ability to be the world's best but until she competes against the best, we can't really call her the best.

I'm afraid your opinion is based on incorrect assumptions and downright lies.

You assume that men's boxing and women's boxing are the same. They're not!

In men's boxing there is an enormous, worldwide professional game that generates worldwide superstars and attracts the best talent. Floyd Mayweather is currently the highest paid sportsperson in the world. Women's professional boxing couldn't be more different.

Purely to demonstrate - I myself am a former boxer, coach and fan who has travelled abroad for world title fights, but attend local amateur bills featuring juveniles on a regular basis. I (foolishly) pay for virtually all Pay Per View fights on Sky, I (thankfully) subscribe to Boxnation, I have Boxing News ordered from my local newsagent for over 30 years and 95%+ of my Boards posts are in the Boxing forum. I can name boxers from all over the globe and tell you all about their careers. In other words I'm a boxing fanatic.......... yet I cannot name even one single women's professional boxing champion! That is not a reflection of sexism on my part (I have zero problem with women boxing - why would I?), it's just a reflection on the near-non-existence of a strong women's professional boxing circuit. Any professional women's boxing I do see is of a poor standard, not remotely close to the top amateurs in terms of skill.

So to claim all the best female boxers in the world are boxing professionally and Katie, by staying amateur is somehow avoiding them, is just wrong.

You also erroneously claim she's getting paid while her opponents aren't. ALL the top amateur boxing countries fund their boxers. ALL OF THEM!!! That's why they are the top countries.

Brendan Flowers

wprathead wrote: »

Ireland winning the A1 Grand Prix over 08/09 was pretty cool

Great call, I'm sure a lot of people wouldnt be aware that Ireland won the 'World Cup of Motorsport'. In fact we will always be the A1 GP Champions are the series ended after that season.

Minjor

Billy86 wrote: »

Nah, Robbie Keane was a very good Premiership player for a good while, but never really a superstar in terms of his goalscoring record - he and Berbatov did make one of the top strike partnerships possibly in all of Europe for a year or two before he went to Liverpool, though. He tended to play more off the main striker at club level though, which was really his best position (and makes his international record more noteworthy if anything), while Berbatov and Jermaine Defoe played slightly more advanced.

12th highest scorer of all time in the Premier League, a very good tally in fairness.