Ireland’s Call | Irish Sporting Heroes

The island of Ireland has produced some of the world’s best sports stars in different sports. Ireland is known for being a great sporting nation, from road racing to football.

Below are some of our tiny island’s best-known Irish sporting heroes. Which ones do you not know? Comment below.

Northern Ireland

• Dame Mary Peters
• Sir Tony McCoy
• George Best
• Carl Frampton
• Harry Gregg
• Martin O’Neill
• Alex Higgins
• Rory McIlroy
• Jonathan Rea
• Joey Dunlop

Republic of Ireland

• Conor McGregor
• Roy Keane
• Brian O’Driscoll
• Robbie Keane
• Katie Taylor
• Pádraig Harrington
• Finn Bálor (Fergal Devitt)
• Paul O’Connell
• John O’Shea
• Barry McGuigan

Lady Mary Peters

Lady Mary Peters is a former athlete best known for winning Olympic gold in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. Since then, she has done a lot of work in the community, including setting up the Mary Peters Trust in 1975 to support young sportsmen and women, both able-bodied and disabled, from across Northern Ireland.

Some notable names who benefited from the trust include Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Jonathan Rea, Darren Clarke, David Humphreys, Bethany Firth, Ryan Burnett, Carl Frampton, Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, Kelly Gallagher and Michael McKillop.

Mary Peters was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to athletics in the 1973 New Year Honours. She was then promoted to CBE in 1990 and again to DBE in 2000.

In 2015, she was named a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) for services to sport and the community in Northern Ireland. She was then made Dame of the Order of Saint John and, finally, Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter (LG) in February 2019.

Sir Tony McCoy

Sir Tony McCoy is a former horse racing jockey from County Antrim, Northern Ireland. McCoy rode an astounding record of 4,358 winners and was Champion Jockey a record 20 consecutive times.

Tony, or ‘AP’ McCoy as he’s known in the world of racing, won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2010, ahead of darts player Phil Taylor and athletics champion Jessica Ennis.

Tony McCoy stands at 1.78M tall, far taller than most jockeys. To be suitable for horse racing, AP had to keep his weight down to 63.5 kg when his natural weight, based on his height, would be about 75 kg.

He has also tasted success in publishing five volumes of his autobiography. Tony McCoy became Sir Tony McCoy after being knighted in the 2016 New Year Honours for his services to racing. 

George Best

George Best needs no introduction. The iconic footballer was born and raised on the Cregagh estate in East Belfast. He grew up supporting the local club Glentoran; however, they rejected him for being ‘too small’ and ‘too light’.

Best kept working hard and was subsequently given a trial by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop, who famously told Sir Matt Busby, “I think I’ve found you a genius”. George was famously quoted saying, ‘I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”

He is universally regarded as one of the greatest footballers ever to live. He did suffer from alcoholism, which subsequently took his life; however, he is fondly remembered by people in his hometown of Belfast and around the world. As a tribute, Belfast City Airport was officially named after George Best on 22 May 2006.

Carl Frampton

Carl Frampton is a professional boxer from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Growing up in Tiger’s Bay in the north of the city, Carl joined his local boxing club to help keep himself out of trouble.

He boxed for Ireland as an amateur and won the Irish senior flyweight title in 2005. As a professional, he became a world champion in two weight classes. He was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America, and ESPN.

He proudly holds a professional record of 26 wins and just 2 losses. Carl is a fighter respected and supported by both sides of the Northern Ireland community. In 2015, fellow fighter and former manager Barry McGuigan said, “Carl is doing what I did. He’s a beacon for peace and reconciliation and represents the future of Northern Ireland.”

Harry Gregg

Harry Gregg OBE is a former footballer hailing from Magherafelt, Northern Ireland. He played as a goalkeeper for the world-renowned football team Manchester United and is also a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, which killed 23 people.

He won 25 caps for the Northern Ireland national football team and was voted best goalkeeper of the 1958 World Cup, where Northern Ireland reached the quarterfinals. Gregg was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to football.

Harry made an emotional account of the disaster on a TV programme entitled ‘Munich Air Disaster: I Was There’ on the National Geographic Channel. It features a reunion with Serbian woman Vera Lukić, whom Gregg saved from the wreckage, and Vera’s daughter Vesna, at the time a baby.

Unknown to Gregg, Vera was also pregnant at the time of the disaster, so Gregg also rescued another life, that of Vera’s son Zoran Lukić, whom Gregg was shown meeting in the documentary One Life: Munich Air Disaster. Harry Gregg is a true pioneer of Irish sport and sums up the spirit of the people here.

Martin O’Neill

Martin O’Neill is a professional football manager and former player born in Kilrea, Northern Ireland. O’Neill played for Northern Irish sides Rosario and Lisburn Distillery in his early days.

He scored against Barcelona for Lisburn Distillery in the European Cup Winners Cup in a 3-1 home defeat 1971. He was spotted by a scout for Nottingham Forest and signed for them in October 1971, leaving Distillery for a fee of £15,000, quitting his studies in law at Queen’s University Belfast.

He went on to play a vital role in Forest’s golden years. He scored on his league debut in a victory over Birmingham side West Bromwich Albion. Martin won the European Cup (Champions League) two years in a row with Nottingham Forest in the 1978/79 and 1979/80 seasons.

Following this, he won the Nottingham Lifetime Achievement Award for services to football. Martin also had a glittering international career with Northern Ireland, captaining the side at the 1982 World Cup in Spain and reaching the second group stage, where they defeated Spain in Valencia.

He was also the manager of the Republic of Ireland for some time and, most recently, of Nottingham Forest. His most successful stint as a manager came at Aston Villa, and he only parted with the club because he disagreed with the board about the best means of moving the club forward. 

Alex Higgins

Alex Higgins was a Snooker player from Belfast, County Antrim. He is widely regarded as the most iconic figure in the snooker game. Known as ‘The People’s Champion’, he won the UK Championship in 1983 and the Masters in 1978 and 1981.

This made him one of eleven players to complete snooker’s Triple Crown. He also won the World Cup three times with the All-Ireland team. Alex, similarly to George Best, struggled to cope with the limelight and abused cigarettes and alcohol as a coping mechanism.

It soon caught up with him, however, and he died of multiple causes in his Belfast home in 2010. Aside from his struggles, Alex Higgins was a genius, also labelled ‘The Hurricane’ due to his fast play. He is fondly remembered today; Steve Davis described Higgins as “one true genius that snooker has produced.” 

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is a professional golfer from Holywood, County Down. He was the world’s number one for 95 weeks and has won four major championships. McIlroy also had a successful amateur career, and in 2007, as a 17-year-old, he topped the World Amateur Golf Ranking for one week.

In the same year, he turned professional, won more than six national titles, and became the first player to earn over €10 million in career earnings on the European Tour.

He has represented Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland as an amateur and professional. Rory has won RTE Sportsperson of the Year twice, once in 2011 and again in 2014. McIlroy has also been recognised by the establishment for his sports contribution, receiving an MBE in 2012. 

Jonathan Rea

Jonathan Rea is a professional motorcycle racer from Ballynure, County Antrim. He competes in the Superbike World Championship and has been crowned champion five times in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

He also holds the record for most race wins in the Superbike World Championship. In the 2017 New Year honours list, Rea was awarded an MBE.

He was born into motorcycling; his father, Johnny, competed at the Isle of Man TT and won the junior TT race. In 2017, Rea was nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year Award and finished in second place ahead of Anthony Joshua, Harry Kane, and Lewis Hamilton.

Joey Dunlop

Joey Dunlop was a motorcyclist from Ballymoney, County Antrim. In 2016, he was voted the fifth greatest motorcycling icon.

He invested much of his time in charity work, driving a van loaded with supplies to orphanages in the Balkans, Romania, Albania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina to help orphans.

Dunlop died in Estonia in 2000 while racing. He lost control of his bike due to wet conditions. After his death, the Joey Dunlop Foundation was established. Joey Dunlop was part of what people called the ‘Racing Dynasty.’

William Dunlop was Michael’s elder brother. Both were sons of the late Robert Dunlop and nephews of Joey. In 1986, William was awarded the MBE for his services to sport, and 10 years later, he was awarded the OBE for his humanitarian work for children.

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is a professional mixed martial artist from Dublin, County Dublin. He currently fights under the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion and is the first person to become UFC World Champion in two weight divisions simultaneously.

He won the featherweight world title against Jose Aldo in December 2015. Jose had been undefeated for 13 years and was regarded as one of the best UFC fighters ever seen. Conor took just 13 seconds to knock him out. McGregor then went on to win the UFC Lightweight belt against Eddie Alvarez in November 2016. 

On 30 November 2016, McGregor obtained a professional boxing license from the California State Boxing Commission. Mayweather confirmed that he would come out of retirement to fight him, and on 14 June 2017, it was confirmed that the about would take place on 26 August 2017. Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather won the fight in the 10th round via TKO despite winning the first round on all three judge’s scorecards. 

Other ventures for McGregor outside of fighting include his brand of Irish Whiskey, Proper No. 12, which he released in September 2017, named after the area in Dublin where he is from. 

Conor McGregor is arguably one of the most iconic sportspeople in the world right now.

Roy Keane

Roy Keane is a former professional footballer and manager from Cork, County Cork. The controversial star began his senior career at Cobh Ramblers before signing for Nottingham Forest in 1990.

He scored 22 goals in 114 appearances for Forest, which caught the eye of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed him for a fee of £3.75 million. He made 326 appearances for Manchester United until he left unexpectedly in 2005.

He finished his professional football career playing for Celtic. Shortly after his retirement as a player, he was appointed manager of Sunderland. He took them from 23rd in the Championship to win the division title and gain promotion to the Premier League. 

Roy Keane is one of the best natural leaders the Premier League has ever seen, captaining Manchester United to 7 Premier League trophies, 4 FA Cups and 1 UEFA Champions League. 

Brian O’Driscoll

Brian O’Driscoll is a former professional rugby union player from Dublin, County Dublin. He played outside centre for Leinster and Ireland, captaining Ireland from 2003 until 2012 and the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand.

Critics regard him as one of the best rugby players of all time. As a child, Brian played Gaelic football before switching to rugby. In 1998, he played for the Ireland U-19 side, which won the Under 19 Rugby World Championship. He made 186 appearances for the Provincial side Leinster, scoring 311 points. 

O’Driscoll’s career honours include winning the Six Nations Championship twice, the Grand Slam, and the Triple Crown 4 times. Individual honours include 6 Nations All-time Top Try Scorer, 6 Nations Player of the Year, 6 Nations Top Try Scorer (2009), Heineken Cup Top Try Scorer (2008/09) and many more. 

In 2005, O’Driscoll released his biography, ‘A Year in the Centre,’ and ten years later, he released his autobiography, ‘The Test: My Autobiography.’

O’Driscoll will go down as one of the greatest rugby players ever.

Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane is a former professional footballer from Dublin, County Dublin. He began his professional career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring 24 times in 75 appearances.

He had his most successful football spell at Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 80 goals. To this day, Robbie Keane is the 14th-highest Premier League goalscorer of all time.

Keane also enjoyed a glittering international career for the Republic of Ireland, scoring 68 times in 146 appearances. A goal in his final appearance took him level with Lionel Messi on the list of the top international goalscorers of all time.

Katie Taylor

Katie Taylor is a professional boxer from Bray, County Wicklow. She is the lightweight undisputed World Champion, having won the division’s WBA, IBF, WBO, and WBC titles. She made history by becoming one of only seven boxers (male or female) to hold all four belts simultaneously. 

In her amateur boxing career, Katie won five consecutive gold medals at the Women’s World Championships, 6 times at the European Championships and 5 times at the European Union Championships. 

Many people do not know that Katie Taylor was once an international footballer for the Republic of Ireland, making 11 appearances and scoring two goals. 

She also received an Honorary degree from Dublin City University in 2013.

Pádraig Harrington

Pádraig Harrington is a professional golfer from Dublin, County Dublin. He grew up in Rathfarnham, on the south side of Dublin, the birthplace of two other professional golfers, Paul McGinley and Peter Lawrie.

Harrington attended the same local secondary school as McGinley (though not in the same year), giving their school, Coláiste Éanna, the right to claim two Ryder Cup golfers as their own. Having spent over 300 weeks in the top 10 of the world rankings, he is widely regarded as one of the best golfers ever.

He reached a career-high ranking of 3rd in July 2008. Harrington has 6 PGA Tour wins and 15 European tour wins. His major wins include the Masters Tournament in 2002 and 2008, the PGA Championship (2008), the US Open, and the Open Championship in 2007 and 2008. 2007 was his home open, the Irish Open, won by an Irishman for the first time in 25 years. 

Pádraig was also selected as captain of the European team for the 2020 Ryder Cup. 

Finn Bálor (Fergal Devitt)

Finn Bálor (Fergal Devitt) is a Bray County Wicklow wrestler. He is currently signed up with the world-renowned professional wrestling company WWE. He wrestled in Japan for most of his professional career before joining WWE NXT in 2014. In 2016, he became the first WWE Universal Champion and is widely regarded as one of the prominent wrestlers on the roster. He has had several more championship pursuits since 2016 and is currently the Intercontinental champion. 

Growing up, Devitt played association and Gaelic football before becoming a professional wrestler. 

Finn Bálor (Devitt’s current ring name) became the first wrestler in WWE history to win a world title in their pay-per-view debut and the quickest wrestler in WWE history to win a world title at 27 days following his main roster debut. 

Paul O’Connell

Paul O’Connell is a former professional rugby union player from Limerick, County Limerick. During a playing career of over 15 years, Paul O’Connell captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. His leadership qualities shone throughout his career and even into retirement when Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke asked him to give a speech to the European team.

O’Connell released his autobiography in 2016 and was voted Irish Sports Book of the Year. 

Honours and achievements include the European Rugby Champions Cup (x3), the Pro14 (x3), the Six Nations Championship (x3) and the British and Irish Lions series winner. 

O’Connell resigned from his role as an advisor with the Munster Academy to become an assistant coach with the Ireland U-20 squad. He also joined BBC Sport as a pundit and commentator ahead of the 2017 Six Nations coverage and continued this work at the 2018 Six Nations Championship.

John O’Shea

John O’Shea is a former professional footballer from Waterford, County Waterford. He joined Manchester United when he was just 17 years old and made 256 appearances for the club, playing as a defender and a defensive midfielder and scoring 10 goals.

O’Shea was a regular starter for Manchester United and an integral part of the team that won the UEFA Champions League in the 2007/08 season. Other footballing honours include the Premier League (x5), the FA Cup, The League Cup (x2), The FIFA Club World Cup, FAI Senior Player of the Year, and the UEFA European U-16 Championship. 

After leaving Manchester United in 2011, he played 5 more seasons in the Premier League at Sunderland. 

O’Shea scored against Germany in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, which helped the Republic of Ireland qualify for Euro 2016.

Barry McGuigan

Barry McGuigan is a former professional boxer from Clones, County Monaghan. As an amateur, McGuigan represented Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games 1978, winning gold in the Bantamweight division. He also competed at the 1980 Olympics. 

McGuigan’s professional career began in May of 1981 when he beat Selvin Bell by TKO in the second round in Dublin. In his professional career, he won 32 fights, 28 of which came through knock-out. 

McGuigan followed in the footsteps of Joey Dunlop and George Best in that he remained apolitical and anti-sectarian during the height of The Troubles, which meant both sides supported him. It is claimed that both sides would say, ‘Leave the fighting to McGuigan’, and people forgot about The Troubles for a while. 

McGuigan currently works as a boxing pundit for Sky Sports and has also delved into acting, appearing in the film Malicious Intent (2000). He also had two biographies written about him, and he appeared on the third series of ITV’s Hells Kitchen in 2007. He was then crowned the winner by a public vote.

The island of Ireland has produced some of Europe’s finest sporting heroes. To learn more about the island’s sporting heritage, visit ConnollyCove, your one-stop shop for Irish heritage and travel.