Most recognizable Irish sporting personality in Ireland.

gigantic09

Lots of choices here from different sporting backgrounds.Who,if people were to meet them walking down the street,would be most recognizable?.My own Tuppence worth would go on Brian Cody.He's our version of Alex Ferguson in the success stakes.Been around for ages so all age groups would be aware of him.Has a face with gnarled features that stands out.For those that say Conor McGregor,I was in the pub last weekend and over the course of the night at least 15 Mcgregor's came into the place.Only person's still living should be considered.

diomed

Paul O'Connell.
I don't know this Brian Cody.

finglashoop

Couldnt pick brian cody out of a line up. I reckon everyone knows what mc gregor looks like. Sports fan or not

ThrillCosby

Roy Keane, Brian O Driscoll

rebel.ranter

It depends on your generation. However I think these 4 would be up there:

Jack Charlton
Roy Keane
Katie Taylor
Sonia O'Sullivan

I'd say hard to beat Roy Keane. He has been around for a few decades, unlike McGregor played in a popular sport shown on mainstream tv, represented his country at the highest level. My mum and her generation would not know of McGregor, most of my friends have never seen an MMA fight.

finglashoop

Roy keane

Sonia o sullivan

Tony McCoy

cashback

Rory McIlroy

If they can be from recent years, Sonia O'Sullivan?

CloudCumulus

But don't sai hi to O'Driscoll, I've heard he's not a fan.

Rory McIlroy

finglashoop

finglashoop wrote: »

Roy keane

Sonia o sullivan

Tony McCoy

Not sure about McCoy. A phenomenon...but think many would find it hard to recognise a jockey. Similarly with hurlers. It's the head covering and the way the sport is shown on tv, few face close ups.

Bobby Baccala

Barry McGuigan

ChunkyLover54

Davy Fitzgerald

Paul McGrath.

tastyt

Paul McGrath

Chickarooney

You put the following people into a lineup and Brian Cody would be the one the majority of people would struggle with the most.

Brian Cody
Conor McGregor (you didn't see 15 of them in the pub, you saw people dressed like him, you knew this because you recognise him so well).
Eamonn Dunphy
Paul OConnell
Brian O'Driscoll
Johnny Sexton
Roy Keane
Robbie Keane
Sonia O'Sullivan
Katie Taylor
Johnny Giles

They're recognisable because they are on our TVs day in day out.

Brian Cody is not.

gucci

George Best or Jimmy Barry Murphy

gigantic09

Paul O'Connell

cashback wrote: »

If they can be from recent years, Sonia O'Sullivan?

Ya as long as they are fit to walk down the street :-).Sonia would be high up the list i'd say.

Steppenwolfe

I had to google Brian Cody, yet I recognised all the other sports personalities mentioned in the thread. I'd say Keane would be up there based on his high profile over many years.

ceegee

finglashoop wrote: »

Roy keane

Sonia o sullivan

Tony McCoy

Will McCoy be sitting on a horse, wearing a green and yellow jumper? If not I'd doubt 1 in 10 would recognise him.

Keane or O'Connell for me. Around long enough for people of varying ages to know them and recent enough that kids/teens would remember them. Also POCs size makes him stand out so probably easiest to spot.

McGrath, Sonia have been off our screens for over a decade, a lot of younger people wouldnt have a clue who they are. In the 90s theyd have been up there though

tayto lover

Rory Mc Ilroy.

Gooch Cooper.

Robbie Keane.

gigantic09

Paul O'Connell

Steppenwolfe wrote: »

I had to google Brian Cody, yet I recognised all the other sports personalities mentioned in the thread. I'd say Keane would be up there based on his high profile over many years.

Recognizing the name and the face are different though.Katie taylor for example would be a name familiar to most people,but her face not so much so id say.

Yamanoto

tayto lover wrote: »

Rory Mc Ilroy.

Gooch Cooper.

Robbie Keane.

I've heard the name on Off the Ball & Second Captains many times, but no idea what the fella looks like.

Say I'm far from alone on that one too.

The Backwards Man

Eamonn Dunphy

CrabRevolution

Sonia O'Sullivan hasn't really been competing at the top end of things for about 10 years now, and even then Brian Cody has probably gotten more TV appearances. While Brian Cody won't have any international appeal, he's both the longest serving current manager, and the most successful manager of all time. More people will recognise him than ye are giving him credit for.

Cody's not the most recognisable though by a long shot. I'd give that to Roy Keane. While McGregor is very visible everywhere, there's still a lot of people who have been passed by by his fame, or who might only recognise his face.

Meanwhile if someone tried to tell you they don't know who Roy Keane is, they are just a liar.

ThrillCosby

Paul Mc Grath another if he hasn't been mentioned already

Gwynplaine

I'm guessing you're from Kilkenny op? That fella who walks up and down the touchline spitting into his hands and like to say 'put to the pin of our collar' quite a lot.
For me it would have to be Marty Morrissey. Who could forget a face like that?

gigantic09

Paul O'Connell

Chickarooney wrote: »

You put the following people into a lineup and Brian Cody would be the one the majority of people would struggle with the most.

Brian Cody
Conor McGregor (you didn't see 15 of them in the pub, you saw people dressed like him, you knew this because you recognise him so well).
Eamonn Dunphy
Paul OConnell
Brian O'Driscoll
Johnny Sexton
Roy Keane
Robbie Keane
Sonia O'Sullivan
Katie Taylor
Johnny Giles

They're recognisable because they are on our TVs day in day out.

Brian Cody is not.

Cant ever imagine my mother coming in the door and saying,you'll never guess who I met at the post office this morning,Johnny Sexton.

gigantic09

Paul O'Connell

Gwynplaine wrote: »

I'm guessing you're from Kilkenny op? That fella who walks up and down the touchline spitting into his hands and like to say 'put to the pin of our collar' quite a lot.
For me it would have to be Marty Morrissey. Who could forget a face like that?

Mayo actually,he's welcome to spit on the touchlines up our way if he ever wants another job.Not sure marty qualifies as he'd be more an rte personality than sporting.

applehunter

Robbie Keane

Its Roy Keane.

He is a cultural icon.

Red Kev

Roy Keane
Rory McIlroy
Brian O'Driscoll

^ In that order. They've been in papers, TV and media for years, both for their on and off field sporting exploits, so I'd pick one of them. I don't think Conor |McGregor belongs on the list as there's loads of lads running around with the tweed/beard/hipster combo look.

Honorable mention to Kieran Donaghy, the most recognisable GAA player going. You'll look at him first because of his height, then you see the shaved head, so they both stick out a mile, then you cop on who he is.

ceegee

The fact its seeing them walking down the street is a big factor. Sexton, Taylor etc are all fairly normal looking so while lots of people could name them if shown photos of sports people they wouldnt turn heads as much walking down the street. People who are unusually sized (eg rugby forwards, basketball players) will stand out a lot more. Also, if you've a bit of a wonky shaped head people will also notice you more (eg Iain Dowie is far more memorable due to his face than his talents. See also Morrissey, M)

Samaris

As a non-sport fan, I'd go with Sonia O'Sullivan, Peter Stringer (he's tiny* in the line-up, thus pretty recognisable!), Brian O'Driscoll, Roy Keane, Michelle Smith (even if not for good reasons any more), Conor McGregor, Katie Taylor and Paul O'Connell.



*Okay, it's more that the rest of them are huge

kfallon

When he's in Ireland, Jack Charlton

finglashoop

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Not sure about McCoy. A phenomenon...but think many would find it hard to recognise a jockey. Similarly with hurlers. It's the head covering and the way the sport is shown on tv, few face close ups.

A lot of people see the grand national who dont follow racing is why i threw his name there.

Ciaran_B

Chickarooney wrote: »

You put the following people into a lineup and Brian Cody would be the one the majority of people would struggle with the most.

Brian Cody
Conor McGregor (you didn't see 15 of them in the pub, you saw people dressed like him, you knew this because you recognise him so well).
Eamonn Dunphy
Paul OConnell
Brian O'Driscoll
Johnny Sexton
Roy Keane
Robbie Keane
Sonia O'Sullivan
Katie Taylor
Johnny Giles

They're recognisable because they are on our TVs day in day out.

Brian Cody is not.

I had to google Paul OConnell and Johnny Sexton, never heard of either of them. And I doubt I could pick them out of a line up with no-one else in it.

Probably Roy Keane or McGregor - if only for those beer billboards he's on. I see his face everywhere.

gramar

Shergar

fatknacker

I wouldn't know Roy Keane if he punched me in the face, but I'd recognize Eamon Dunphy from a mile off, the big Miley looking head on him.

riffmongous

Ciaran_B wrote: »

I had to google Paul OConnell and Johnny Sexton, never heard of either of them.

Going to have to call bull**** on this

I would say eamon dunphy and johnny giles have very recognisable faces. I have seen so many McGregor lookalikes by now that I probably wouldnt notice the real one, Cody I have recognised on the street before already. WWE star Sheamus is an easy one to spot if you are aware of him, 6'6, 280 pounds and with bright red hair

CrabRevolution

Do all the people saying they've never heard of some of the most successful and popular sportspeople on earth think they're being edgy or have you really just no interaction with the outside world?

Cee-Jay-Cee

Never heard of Brian Cody so doubt his face would mean anything to me.

I've just quizzed the 3 other people in the room with me, 2 of them never heard of him either and the other reckons he's a GAA county manager. So he's a nobody to 75% of us.

Roy Keane would be the most recognisable and possibly Conor McGregor.

riffmongous

CrabRevolution wrote: »

Do all the people saying they've never heard of some of the most successful and popular sportspeople on earth think they're being edgy or have you really just no interaction with the outside world?

It just comes across as sad, in both cases

Richard Hillman

If you were walking down the street people that I wouldnt even need to take a second glance for would be Paul O'Connell, Paul McGrath, Roy Keane, Rory McIlroy, BOD and Conor McGregor. They are very recognizable and distinguishing people.

Katie Taylor is a bit of Plain Jane.

I reckon the only sports people who we have from this Island that wouldnt be able to go about their normal lives would be McGregor and McIlroy. I couldnt imagine either popping into Tesco without being mobbed.

gigantic09

Paul O'Connell

Looks like i'm well of the mark on Cody so,maybe it's an urban rural divide.l believe giles and dunphy spend alot of time in 'make up' before going on air so they might not be as recognizable without their faces on.keane (Roy) seems to be most popular choice here.

arybvtcw0eolkf

CrabRevolution wrote: »

Do all the people saying they've never heard of some of the most successful and popular sportspeople on earth think they're being edgy or have you really just no interaction with the outside world?

Having read the thread I wouldn't know a lot of these people to see.

I had to ask my son who Brian Cody was. Apart from Paul O'Connell I wouldn't know the rugby guys either, 'nor would I know Roy Keane (or I doubt if I seen him in person I would).

I'd know Conor McGregor but mostly because I've known him personally for years.

I'm not really big into spectating on a lot of sports, no doubt the people who don't recognize the popular sports people are the same.

Rothko

Robbie Keane

Surprised nobody's said Robbie Keane yet

fatknacker

CrabRevolution wrote: »

Do all the people saying they've never heard of some of the most successful and popular sportspeople on earth think they're being edgy or have you really just no interaction with the outside world?

I'm not being edgy, or trying to be, I just have absolute zero interest in sport.
I know some names of course but when it comes to soccer celebrities forget it.

Zaph

There are an awful lot of sportsmen and women that really are only recognisable to those who are interested in the sport. I've heard of Brian Cody and one or two other GAA personalities, but I wouldn't know what a single one of them looks like because I've no interest in the sport. Similarly with rugby players, I only know what Paul O'Connell looks like because he's on lots of TV ads. Brian O'Driscoll and Peter Stringer are probably the only other rugby players I'd recognise. And while I'm a soccer fan, I'd imagine those who have no interest in it would struggle to recognise many beyond maybe Roy and Robbie Keane, and probably Big Jack. I suppose it's human nature to think that our own heroes are bigger and more instantly recognisable than they really are, but the reality is that most people probably couldn't give a toss what Conor McGregor or Rory McIlroy look like if they've no interest in their respective sports.

lawlolawl

CrabRevolution wrote: »

Do all the people saying they've never heard of some of the most successful and popular sportspeople on earth think they're being edgy or have you really just no interaction with the outside world?

Some people have little or no interest in sport. I'm one of them. I don't actively hate it or anything, i simply don't care about it.

I generally only know about sports people who have made the news for reasons other than their sporting achievements.

velo.2010

If its putting a name to a face then I think its Roy Keane, whether its walking down the street or folk being shown a photo of that person.

Keane received wall to wall coverage in 2002 for several weeks on TV and in print. so your looking at most people in their late 20's and older being very aware of him.

Mcgregor is a new name. Most have heard of him but with so many faces on the internet, I think some older people would struggle that bit more to put a name to his face or photo.

ArnoldJRimmer

Suas11 wrote: »

Surprised nobody's said Robbie Keane yet

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/robbie-keane-captioned-unidentified-fan-1411480

In Ireland, maybe, not so much in LA

Rothko

Robbie Keane

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/robbie-keane-captioned-unidentified-fan-1411480

In Ireland, maybe, not so much in LA

Lol, forgot about that.

gormdubhgorm

Okey Doke - it has to be bill o'herlihy surely?

Also no mention of snooker players Dennis Taylor or Alex Higgins...