The greatest Irish person...

buckwheat

Twink:cool:

FlawedGenius

Michael Collins.

End of Story.

Say Your Number

The flamehaired flame-thrower of truth Ken Early.

PARlance

Anybody who went to the Euros and waved a shoe or got caught up in other hilarity.

mansize

TK Whittaker

Turned this country around from an economic backwater

mansize

wp_rathead wrote: »

Roger Casement was a cool skhin

I would have loved to have been in his company

bob50

In recent times Ch6arlie Haughey in the early 60s Sean Lemass for dragging this country out of the quagmire of devs ireland and getting building and jobs going

1gunsnroses

Tom Creen would have to be Ireland's unheralded hero. If he was under an Irish flag going to the Antarctic he would be no doubt the greatest Irishman

Realt Dearg Sec

James Joyce, the most important writer of his century, and every single word of it was set in Dublin, making it one of the world's most important literary cities (he didn't do this alone). He changed how we think about literature, drew together high and popular culture as part of the greatest novel ever written, and is repeatedly cited as a vital influence in the development of some of the greatest writing on every continent ever since, his irishness being an important factor on that influence and in the way he redrew the map of world culture. His influence on world culture is immeasurable, even by the very high standards set by Irish writers more generally.

Your Face

The Duke of Wellington.

Carrie6OD

Michael D

Clonmel1000

Joe Schmidt

me_right_one

Eamon DeValera.

Immigrant to this country, son of a single mother, foreign Hispanic surname, yet he took lives and was fully prepared to sacrifice his own for his adapted country. Little did he know he would one end up leading it.

Also a mathematical genius, avid rugby player, and a science enthusiast. Pure hero.

Day Lewin

Going with Casement, too. Just read that biography - fictionalised, but a true story.
He was an impressive fighter for human rights in exploited colonies, defending local enslaved workers in Congo and in S. America.
AND he threw his brilliant career away to share in the 1916 Rising as best he could. And here we are now, a Republic.
A complex, courageous, righteous man. Troubled and imperfect, as we all are. But, truly great.

CrowdedHouse

Ernest Walton - gave us nuclear bombs and stuff like that

Poor Uncle Tom

Thomas Francis Meagher,

Irish Nationalist, went to France and brought back the greatest symbol of Irelands independance, the tricolour and was the first person to fly it from No. 33 The Mall, Waterford in April 1848. He was leader of the Young Irelanders in the Rebellion of 1848. He was convicted of sedition and was sentenced to death, but received transportation for life to Van Diemen's Land, he escaped and made his way to the United States, where he settled and studied law, worked as a journalist, and traveled to present lectures on the Irish cause. T. F. Meagher joined the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of brigadier general. He recruited and lead the Irish Brigade, and encouraging support among Irish immigrants for the Union. After the Civil War, Meagher was appointed acting governor of the Montana Territory. And in true hero fashion his death is surrounded in mystery, I believe he is still playing poker on a paddle steamer on the Missouri.....

And all packed into his 44 years....

maryishere

maryishere wrote: »

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.

Yeah and we have (love em or hate em) one of the words most famous pop bands - as well as another singer who won an Oscar for his music. And I think - recently enough - an Irish "kid" was officially declared to be the worlds youngest ever "self made" billionaire (self made as in not inherited or gifted, but made of his own income).

So yea - this small island does have it's moments.

Fuzzytrooper

Can't believe no one has mentioned the legend that is Enda Kenny:eek::eek::eek:

Galway_Old_Man

Ah it's a tough one. How can you measure the beauty of certain writings against a political revolutionary against a person who dedicated themselves to others...

Anyway some good names here, I throw in two from the science world; Ernest "Atom smasher" Walton and William Rowan Hamilton.

Arcade_Tryer

Beckett and Boole.

In terms of the influence they had and continue to have on the world.

razorblunt

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.

On Davitt, you have to admire a man who lost a limb at a young age, to then go on and get arrested for importing arms.

Paul McGrath is probably your stereotypical Irish man too, tough upbringing, quiet, friendly man in person, absolute monster at what he does. Became too fond of the drink and is now, courageously fighting his demons and doing well.

My vote is for Keith Woods for being the human equivalent of a honey badger.

Omackeral

Rats from the Flats

Too Tough To Die

Geldof - saved a whole continent. You can't fuck with that.

Donnielighto

me_right_one wrote: »

Eamon DeValera.

Immigrant to this country, son of a single mother, foreign Hispanic surname, yet he took lives and was fully prepared to sacrifice his own for his adapted country. Little did he know he would one end up leading it.

Also a mathematical genius, avid rugby player, and a science enthusiast. Pure hero.

He was a liar a cheat, a coward when it came to his own reputation, brought the country to civil war then broke the reason he split the country and said it was ok as he had his fingers crossed. Oh and robbing the state by installing a hereditary position in Irish press.

Set the end country back years with his cosiness to the church and was deplorable during ww2. An all round creep

harry Bailey esq

mansize wrote: »

I would have loved to have been in his company

With a name like yours im pretty sure he'd feel the same.

Zebra3

Duff wrote: »

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

Pintsman already mentioned.

Galway_Old_Man

Zebra3 wrote: »

Pintsman already mentioned.

Look, did Pintsman drink toilet-duck like Paul? Legend.

Zebra3

me_right_one wrote: »

Eamon DeValera.

Immigrant to this country, son of a single mother, foreign Hispanic surname, yet he took lives and was fully prepared to sacrifice his own for his adapted country. Little did he know he would one end up leading it.

Also a mathematical genius, avid rugby player, and a science enthusiast. Pure hero.

A thieving crook if ever there was one. Appropriate that he founded FF, Ireland's original Mafia.

Such a shame the Brits didn't do him in '16. His misrule saw the pigs in the RC church run their gulags for "fallen" women, his 17th C vision for the state, and his cowardice in giving so much power to that c*nt Charles McQuaid.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Zebra3 wrote: »

A thieving crook if ever there was one. Appropriate that he founded FF, Ireland's original Mafia.

Such a shame the Brits didn't do him in '16. His misrule saw the pigs in the RC church run their gulags for "fallen" women, his 17th C vision for the state, and his cowardice in giving so much power to that c*nt Charles McQuaid.

And yet people still voted for him.

Face it as much as people in Ireland like to blame the Church for everything that is wrong with the country the people empowered the politicians who allowed them to have undue influence on the country and really it's our own fault.It isn't as if people had no knowledge of what the church was at and yet they allowed them to do what they did.It's not as if the church were armed and there was nothing people could do to stop them.

Keeping Ireland out of WW2 was one very good thing De Valera did for the country.

Zebra3

No Irish politician could have taken the country into WWII so I wouldn't give Don Dev any credit for that.

The country was broke, people still seething over the partition/continued occupation of their country and had no reason to join Britain in its laughable "war against fascism" while it still subjegated hundreds of millions around the world.