The greatest Irish person...

...presume it's been done here before, but can't say I've seen it recently.

So who do you regard as the greatest Irish person? To avoid the inevitable NI argument I mean anyone from the island of Ireland, or with Irish nationality for anyone wrestling over Daniel Day Lewis etc. And give a sentence or 2 of reasoning...

For me, it's W.B. Yeats. A brilliant brilliant mind, the man who created the most beautiful poem of all time with his "When You Are Old". The word "genius" should be used very carefully, but I think it fully applies in his case.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43283

Pat Mustard

Michael Flatley.

Soft day, thank gawd

Losty Dublin

John Wayne in The Quiet Man but not in True Grit or Stagecoach.

Fuzzytrooper

Shackelton, a great old lad.

Alternatively do we know the nationality of a certain Trent?

ChunkyLover54

Tony Cascarino.

The_Valeyard

Charles Stewart Parnell

Rumpy Pumpy

Pintman Paddy Losty.

whoopsadoodles

My Dad.

Odyssey 2005

Yez are all rong. It's Bono.

harry Bailey esq

Can you vote for yourself? If not,it's a toss up between Charlie Haughey and wibbs.

Fuzzytrooper

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

My Dad.

My dad would beat up your dad. He's got a rake!

Mr. FoggPatches

Barracks o'bama. 3 u-21 medals for laois, handy at handball, built an eaterie and became president of the ufc or something. Who else can say that?

D Trent

Paul O'Connell



Need you have fookin asked?

Duff

Paul McGrath. He was an absolute machine back in his heyday.

Ubbquittious

Tom Crean

maudgonner

I find it hard to take Yeats' romantic poetry seriously knowing what a strange, strange man he was. I mean my namesake was fairly batshít crazy, but he was miles worse than even her.

I think Michael Davitt was a remarkable man, and has been quite overlooked by history. Partly because he was overshadowed by the glamour of Parnell. Partly because our modern view of history was so shaped by Pearse, Plunkett etc and the peaceful revolution of the Land War didn't fit their uprising's agenda. But for a man from the humblest of backgrounds, who had an unfortunate childhood, to go on and live the life he did, while being a seemingly very humble and decent man, that's impressive.

Arghus

Paul McGrath.

Ooh fookin aah.

wp_rathead

Roger Casement was a cool skhin

maudgonner

maudgonner wrote: »

I find it hard to take Yeats' romantic poetry seriously knowing what a strange, strange man he was. I mean my namesake was fairly batshít crazy, but he was miles worse than even her.

I think Michael Davitt was a remarkable man, and has been quite overlooked by history. Partly because he was overshadowed by the glamour of Parnell. Partly because our modern view of history was so shaped by Pearse, Plunkett etc and the peaceful revolution of the Land War didn't fit their uprising's agenda. But for a man from the humblest of backgrounds, who had an unfortunate childhood, to go on and live the life he did, while being a seemingly very humble and decent man, that's impressive.

Actually you make a very good point...apart from your criticism of W.B.!

The social reforms brought about by the Land League had a far more profound and real impact than the political changes in the aftermath of 1916.

jelutong

Seamus Ennis.

Slattsy

Tom Cruise in Far And Away

Patser

Arthur Wellesley

Cartouche

Define 'great'

Odyssey 2005

Patser wrote: »

Arthur Wellesley

Is he married to cristy burkes yung wun ?

maryishere

Ford ( of the Ford car company) came from Cork before he set up his car factory ( modern assembly line ) in the states and revolutionised car manufacture.

Boyle ( Boyles law in physics) came from Dublin as far as I remember.

Dunlop ( the man behind the tyres) and Ferguson ( the man behind the tractors), from N.I.

Walton, the man who split the atom, won or co-won Nobel prize I think


Not bad for a small country.

Gwynplaine

Marty Morrissey

Pinch Flat

Mrs Brown

maryishere

I forgot (ex-President) O'Bhama , he got a motorway service station named after him.

tonycascarino

Dermot MacMurrough

beertons

Kevin Sheedy. For he put the ball in the English net.

Cartouche

Cartouche wrote: »

Define 'great'

Ah well, that's in the eye of the beholder!

Some have suggested sports players, some may go for military or political figures, for me it was someone whose brilliance was in the world of arts. But I'd rather leave it undefined and open...