Yep.
Love him or hate him, being the first to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously was and still is very impressive.
Ireland's Greatest Ever Sporting Achievement
- Thread starter Pogue Mahone
- Start date
Love him or hate him, being the first to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously was and still is very impressive.
It was impressive but a lot less impressive than what Steve Collins or Katy Taylor achieved, if we’re going with combat sports. Even more so when you consider how the UFC is so far removed from being a proper meritocracy.
A bit like this United Nations Irish rugby team, then!
Wasn't there an Irish swimmer that won some medals but later got stripped of them for doping?
Michelle De Bruin. That was our most short lived greatest sporting achievement.
Thanks , I remember it being a rollercoaster ride.
*Edit*
Reading about it on Wiki (not the best source) but it kind of sounds like she got screwed over as the doping allegations were never proven so she never lost the medals.
No more United Nations than any other international rugby team. Probably less than most. 4 out of 15 players not born in Ireland (I think?)
Eoin Morgan winning the 2019 world cup must be up there 
I’m a young wipper snapper so I only caught up with Steve Collins career properly after he’d retired and yeh it’s impressive as you say.
Taylor’s story is amazing and being a fairly similar age I’ve watched her career and again what she’s achieved is actually nuts.
I do have a soft sport for MMA which is why I gravitate to it more than other combat sports.
Roy Keane being born.
Fair enough. We all have our soft spots. I’m fairly clueless about combat sports but love all ball sports (except golf, feck golf)
It's probably Stephen Roche doing cyclings triple crown of grand tours in 87, one of 2 people to have done it the other being Merckx
It’s definitely a sterling achievement but I’m also riddled with doubt as to Roche’s cleanliness during that era. (Kelly, too, for that matter.)
Have you seen the punishment for getting caught back then, 10mins added to your time also, he most than likely wasn't on the rocket up the arse EPO as it was still fairly new
What did Ireland have to do to qualify for these new Zealand games. Or are they just played every few years either way?
Surely them gold medal winning rowers?
Why the salt? Ireland beating England at a cricket world cup is a classic match and one of the great upsets. Definitely deserves a mention in this thread.
Go ahead and start a thread about Norway if that'll help you sleep at night
Padraig Harrington's back to back majors and winning The Open back to back has to be up there.
Being the first soccer team to beat England on their home turf at Goodison should be considered. Beating teams at their own game is always funny. Would love to see the day when another country would at least have a craic at one of our sports.
Yeah that came across much more salty than I meant it to be! Was supposed to be banter #topbantzWhy the salt? Ireland beating England at a cricket world cup is a classic match and one of the great upsets. Definitely deserves a mention in this thread.
Go ahead and start a thread about Norway if that'll help you sleep at night
And the cricket was a good shout.
Ireland isn’t as good as India though…?
For the record IOC considers chess a sport and we've got the GOAT
Can’t believe nobody has mentioned the fact that both teams in the all Ireland hurling final were Irish this year.
He was a cheat. A surgically enhanced seeing cheat.
all the rugby heads in here
chuckles in GAA
chuckles in GAA
Eh?
A bit of a Whoosh there Frank.
Keane ending Haalands career with so much force he had to retire due to the other knee
She never got stripped of those medals but her reputation was definitely tainted.
Winning the cricket World Cup for England?
All their victories will be usurped the second they don't bottle it a quarters in a world cup. So it's none of the NZ stuff.
Great player. My mum used to fancy him. Shame he went to City for a while.
Edit: Oh, golf…
There are no trophies for winning quarter-finals. Nobody cares who makes the semis. Winning the World Cup would trump this series win. Probably.
Connor McGregor
Ireland Rugby series win in NZ
Brendan Dolan’s 9 darter
Ireland Rugby series win in NZ
Brendan Dolan’s 9 darter
Eoin Morgan winning the 2019 world cup must be up there
On a serious note surely Conor McGregor could have been the very very best? Just a shame he cared more about money than the sport itself.
Probably? Of course it would... and so would a quarters win, against anyone, no trophies... but to be stuck there for god knows however long and lose loads of them in fantastic blow up style too, would be an absolutely major step for Ireland, even if they lose the semi.
Tell Wales a quarters win means nothing, the Belgium win is probably the biggest sporting event ever in Wales, booming night.
If the Rugby team won the World Cup them that would be the greatest achievement even though I can't stand the game.
Other than that Harrington would be up there or did Sonia O Sullivan win a gold medal?
I vaguely remember sitting in a hospital watching her race and everyone going nuts
Other than that Harrington would be up there or did Sonia O Sullivan win a gold medal?
I vaguely remember sitting in a hospital watching her race and everyone going nuts
Nah. No chance that winning a quarter final would trump this. Rugby’s a weird sport with a handful of teams miles better than the rest. Making top four in a tournament is not a big deal at all. I don’t even think making the final would be an outrageously good achievement for Ireland. They’re currently ranked #1 in the world. This isn’t football.
I hope your mad stance here doesn't stop you loving it when they do pull through. I mean it'd be even better if it were against NZ too, because you'd stubbornly have to accept it's not greater than a pretty pointless test series to prove an odd point
We'll re-open this when it happens. Because it will... at some point.
I think that it's the moral victory after Henry's goal.