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Why is there ever a debate about who was the best Irish Sports person ever? *READ OP*

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 12 Lorcanber1


    Coughlan also ran a 2 25 marathon in New York when he was finishing his career , 28 19 10k serious , ran track cross country and road all at a top level , nice lad too


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,098 ✭✭✭Poorside


    Edgware wrote: »
    Its easy dominate your sport for 20 years when there is no competition


    Off you go so.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,188 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    McGregor would be the most famous but saying he is the greatest is where there would be room for debate.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,188 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    Has to be Anna Geary.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,023 ✭✭✭blackbox


    Stephen Roche.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 11,247 ✭✭✭✭salmocab


    McGregor would be the most famous but saying he is the greatest is where there would be room for debate.

    That’s the thing though, despite the OPs opinion it’s very much up for debate, anyone discounting someone based on the numbers involved in the sport is really saying it has to be a soccer player. Medal hauls are a decent metric but someone like Keane made a good decision to go to Man Utd over Blackburn, if he’d made a different decision his haul might have been much less but he may have been just as good a player.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,229 ✭✭✭✭nullzero
    ****


    Hard to argue against Keane even if he is a divisive character.

    He won everything at United and is undoubtedly United's most successful captain ever, no other Irish sportsperson compares. Had he won all those trophies for Liverpool he'd be better thought of in Ireland.

    Glazers Out!



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,653 ✭✭✭KiKi III


    Sonia O’Sullivan would be up there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,213 ✭✭✭✭Beechwoodspark


    Has to be either Michelle Smith or mcgregor


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,188 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    I think Michelle Smith got a bit of a raw deal, she did win the medals but the controversy after overshadowed her achievement.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,036 ✭✭✭Mister Vain


    I think McGregor would need to fight for a few more years before he could be considered the greatest. He achieved a lot in a short period of time though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,188 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    I think McGregor would need to fight for a few more years before he could be considered the greatest. He achieved a lot in a short period of time though.

    I don't think he has any real interest in getting back in the ring, he is a multi millionaire and if he did something in the future like the Mayweather fight he would make as much for a nights work as he would for multiple fights in the UFC.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,247 ✭✭✭✭salmocab


    I think McGregor would need to fight for a few more years before he could be considered the greatest. He achieved a lot in a short period of time though.

    I dislike both him and MMA but he’s done impressive work there, he played a bit of a panto villain and reaped the rewards for it, he also to be fair in the main backed up his talk with great fighting.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,188 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    salmocab wrote: »
    I dislike both him and MMA but he’s done impressive work there, he played a bit of a panto villain and reaped the rewards for it, he also to be fair in the main backed up his talk with great fighting.

    He was Dana Whites cash cow as well, people thought he gave Mc special treatment but it was because he was his most popular fighter and made him millions.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,098 ✭✭✭Poorside


    nullzero wrote: »
    Hard to argue against Keane even if he is a divisive character.

    He won everything at United and is undoubtedly United's most successful captain ever, no other Irish sportsperson compares. Had he won all those trophies for Liverpool he'd be better thought of in Ireland.

    Very easy to argue against him, how many Leinster players have won everything they can multiple times apart from a world cup?


  • Posts: 13,712 ✭✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Surprising to see a lack of rugby names here. Ronan O'Gara, Jack Kyle, Brian O'Driscoll? No? Moreso than soccer, these guys were genuinely world-class players and contributed a lot to the mood of the nation during some very rough times. Not that they're in Roy Keane's league but they sure do deserve a run at the title
    I think Michelle Smith got a bit of a raw deal, she did win the medals but the controversy after overshadowed her achievement.
    How did she get a raw deal? She got to keep her medals which is more than she deserved.


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,317 ✭✭✭✭super_furry


    It's clearly our three-time Olympic gold medal swimming champion Michelle Smith.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,693 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    LorenzoB wrote: »
    All on his own

    No, but as a player, leader and often against the odds.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,315 ✭✭✭fergiesfolly


    Eammon Coghlan.
    World and European champion.
    Held the World record for the indoor mile.
    First man over 40 to run a sub minute mile.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,098 ✭✭✭Poorside


    Eammon Coghlan.
    World and European champion.
    Held the World record for the indoor mile.
    First man over 40 to run a sub minute mile.

    Paul o Donovan
    European champion
    Olympic silver medal
    4 times world champion.

    Not sure he'd run a sub minute mile though.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,414 ✭✭✭touts


    Hard to compare them. Pretty sure McIlroy would hammer Katie Taylor on the golf course but wouldn't last a round with her in the ring. Different sports have different skills. There are even different skills within aports. Even in Rugby you might say Brian O'Driscoll was the greatest but he wouldn't last in the front row.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,453 ✭✭✭valoren


    Denis Irwin pretty much has the medals to match Keane and was per Ferguson the first name down on the team sheet every week. He couldn't say the same for Keane because he was sent off routinely. I'm sure Irwin would have made a fine captain at United and for the national team if he desired and posited himself for the role.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,803 ✭✭✭hawkwing


    Tom Kiely


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,488 ✭✭✭Working class heroes


    John Tracey.
    Two world XC titles.
    Olympic silver on his marathon debut.

    Racism is now hiding behind the cloak of Community activism.



  • Registered Users Posts: 963 ✭✭✭Doc07


    Harrington
    Sean Kelly/Stephen Roche
    Sonya


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,159 ✭✭✭mrkiscool2


    Strumms wrote: »
    No way would you put Harrington up there, he’s shat the bed in numerous big competitions when he’s been leading. Ok three majors and around 06/07/08 he was something else.... a real purple patch..But .... blowing a three shot lead somewhere with three holes to play and he is interviewed... “ Padraig, you must be devastated ?”... PH : “ahhh sure, ahhh sure, look it’s a lovely day isn’t it.” He’s been second so often that it’s just bewildering.

    Roy Keane :

    7 Premier League Championships

    4 FA Cups

    1 Champions League

    1 intercontinental Cup

    1 Scottish League

    1 Scottish League Cup

    12 years at United, 13 trophies.
    Dude. For about 3 years before he won the majors he was the second best golfer in the world and the only one to beat Woods in his prime in a playoff. He was, at his peak, one of the greatest golfers of all time and definitely the best European in that decade.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,693 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    valoren wrote: »
    Denis Irwin pretty much has the medals to match Keane and was per Ferguson the first name down on the team sheet every week. He couldn't say the same for Keane because he was sent off routinely. I'm sure Irwin would have made a fine captain at United and for the national team if he desired and posited himself for the role.


    I am a massive Irwin fan, one of the best fullbacks of the modern age.

    Just using the EPL for convenience....Roy Keane averaged one red card every 52 premier league games for United. He simply wasn’t sent off routinely. People forget that while yes he was a physical player. 7 red cards in 366 United Premier League games, that’s not dirty, that’s not excessive.

    He was booked 69 times in 366 appearances. He wasn’t really booked routinely in fact he wasn’t even for the position and style he had...

    He was booked in 18.8% of League games.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,213 ✭✭✭✭Beechwoodspark


    Again I would have to say nobody has equaled the heights Michelle Smith reached in 1996


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,098 ✭✭✭Poorside


    Again I would have to say nobody has really equaled the heights Michelle Smith reached in 1996

    1 year,
    Stephen Roche beats that out the door.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,159 ✭✭✭mrkiscool2


    Again I would have to say nobody has equaled the heights Michelle Smith reached in 1996
    Being found not guilty=/=innocent. Its pretty clear she doped in any respectabiles person's eye


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