March 17, 2008

Irish Power Rankings : Celebrating the top active Irish sports personalties.

read story | posted by justgary to General at 10:32 PM CDT (14 comments total)

It's already March 18 here, but anyway, who are those guys? Are they 57 per cent Irish*?

My nominees:

Brian O'Driscoll
Darren Clarke
Niall Quinn/Roy Keane (and SundIreland)
The Munster XV that beat the All Blacks
Sonia O'Sullivan
Robbie Keane's Goal against Germany
The Ghost of Shergar

*Get hold of Roddy Doyle's recent short story collection on Irishness - 'The Deportees'

posted by owlhouse at 12:42 AM CDT on March 18

It's a close run thing between BOD & ROG, especially given how crap the rugby has been this year.

Course for real Irish sports stars you'd want to mention the likes of Joe Canning or Colm Cooper.

posted by Fence at 5:35 AM CDT on March 18

Andy Lee
John Duddy
Tom Coughlin
Bill Parcell
Dunleavy
Brady Quinn
Tom Brady

PJ Carlesimo (1/2)

posted by brutaltruth at 6:34 AM CDT on March 18

Is Roddy Piper Irish?

posted by jm_mosier at 6:48 AM CDT on March 18

Is Roddy Piper Irish?

Actually, he's from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada but was billed from Glasgow, Scotland.

posted by BornIcon at 6:54 AM CDT on March 18

I love that photo of the brothers Manning.

posted by dfleming at 8:32 AM CDT on March 18

You mean the top American faux-Irish sports personalities. Having once drunk a pint of Guinness might be enough to get you selected by Jack Charlton, but it doesn't make you Irish.

I don't know enough about Gaelic Football or Hurling, but from rugby you've got Brian O'Driscoll and Ronan O'Gara, from football you've got Robbie Keane and Damian Duff. David Healey would have qualified if he could score in the Premier League like he can score in internationals.

posted by salmacis at 10:42 AM CDT on March 18

Damn, when did Hornswoggle turn out to be Finlay's son?? Miss two weeks of wrastlin' and I feel so out of the loop.

posted by jmd82 at 12:35 PM CDT on March 18

Looks like Shanahan has a near-fatal case of horse-tooth. Do they smear peanut butter on his lip to make him talk?

posted by tahoemoj at 1:20 PM CDT on March 18

It's a pretty Irish list of top Irish sports stars that doesn't contain any Irishmen.

Barry McGuigan
George Best
Stephen Roche
Sean Kelly
Ham Lambert
Tony O'Reilly
Mike Gibson
Bill McBride
Keith Wood
Michelle Smith (asterisk)
Danny Blanchflower
Fred Daly
Padraig Harrington
Jimmy Bruen
Joe Carr
Christy O'Connor
Christy O'Connor Jnr
Harry Bradshaw
Sonia O'Sullivan
Joey Dunlop
Alex Higgins
Ken Doherty
100 x jockeys/trainers/horses

Next week, a list of top African athletes (containing no one who has ever left the continental US).

posted by JJ at 6:05 AM CDT on March 19

I think they were supposed to be still alive, JJ.

But wasn't Fred Daly a tenor?

What? Oh.

posted by owlhouse at 6:36 AM CDT on March 19

*L* Our Fred could sing too, but probably not as well as yours.

Still alive, you say?
And still playing I suppose.
You'll be telling me they have to have red hair and green eyes next.

posted by JJ at 11:53 AM CDT on March 19

Its funny that anyone cares... Sorry guys... This one is a flop... I would have to look up 90% of these names to even know what they do or did.. lol...

The things that St. Patricks Day will bring out...

posted by bruce2ww at 9:16 AM CDT on March 20

I would have to look up 90% of these names to even know what they do or did.

And if you don't know them, then they're not worth mentioning? Don't expect that criteria to carry much weight around here. Rule number one: respect other members' threads, and don't denigrate them just because the subject matter doesn't float your particular boat.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 9:38 AM CDT on March 20

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