The greatest Irish person...

...presume it's been done here before, but can't say I've seen it recently.

So who do you regard as the greatest Irish person? To avoid the inevitable NI argument I mean anyone from the island of Ireland, or with Irish nationality for anyone wrestling over Daniel Day Lewis etc. And give a sentence or 2 of reasoning...

For me, it's W.B. Yeats. A brilliant brilliant mind, the man who created the most beautiful poem of all time with his "When You Are Old". The word "genius" should be used very carefully, but I think it fully applies in his case.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43283

Pat Mustard

Michael Flatley.

Soft day, thank gawd

Losty Dublin

John Wayne in The Quiet Man but not in True Grit or Stagecoach.

Fuzzytrooper

Shackelton, a great old lad.

Alternatively do we know the nationality of a certain Trent?

ChunkyLover54

Tony Cascarino.

The_Valeyard

Charles Stewart Parnell

Rumpy Pumpy

Pintman Paddy Losty.

whoopsadoodles

My Dad.

Odyssey 2005

Yez are all rong. It's Bono.

harry Bailey esq

Can you vote for yourself? If not,it's a toss up between Charlie Haughey and wibbs.

Fuzzytrooper

whoopsadoodles wrote: »

My Dad.

My dad would beat up your dad. He's got a rake!

Mr. FoggPatches

Barracks o'bama. 3 u-21 medals for laois, handy at handball, built an eaterie and became president of the ufc or something. Who else can say that?

D Trent

Paul O'Connell



Need you have fookin asked?

Duff

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

Ubbquittious

Tom Crean

maudgonner

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.

Arghus

Paul McGrath.

Ooh fookin aah.

wp_rathead

Roger Casement was a cool skhin

maudgonner

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.

Actually you make a very good point...apart from your criticism of W.B.!

The social reforms brought about by the Land League had a far more profound and real impact than the political changes in the aftermath of 1916.

jelutong

Seamus Ennis.

Slattsy

Tom Cruise in Far And Away

Patser

Arthur Wellesley

Cartouche

Define 'great'

Odyssey 2005

Patser wrote: »

Arthur Wellesley

Is he married to cristy burkes yung wun ?

maryishere

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.

Gwynplaine

Marty Morrissey

Pinch Flat

Mrs Brown

maryishere

I forgot (ex-President) O'Bhama , he got a motorway service station named after him.

tonycascarino

Dermot MacMurrough

beertons

Kevin Sheedy. For he put the ball in the English net.

Cartouche

Cartouche wrote: »

Define 'great'

Ah well, that's in the eye of the beholder!

Some have suggested sports players, some may go for military or political figures, for me it was someone whose brilliance was in the world of arts. But I'd rather leave it undefined and open...

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.