Ireland's Greatest Ever Sporting Achievement

Gee Male said:
I would bet that a lot of those parents don't see it as wholly amateur. I'm from a sporting but predominantly GAA background, and at my nephew's soccer games I've had more than one conversation on the topic of "sure there's no money in that".

I've long been of the view that irish domestic soccer needs to reorganise itself along county lines - one team per county, with 3 total in Dublin and 2 total in Cork. There's 26 counties plus Derry, there's your 30 teams.

Bottom line is that we are a parochial little country. The successful domestic sports (GAA and rugby) have a fan base because they are organised based on where you're from so everyone has a team and interest. In soccer, Mayo people just won't support Galway United or Sligo Rovers - its just not happening. That's a huge sport mad county with no draw to domestic soccer. There's loads of counties similar.

Needs a fresh look and lots of noses to be put out of joint.
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Off topic I know but could the FAI take a leaf out of Kilkenny’s approach where basically every Kilkenny young boy is given the chance to swing a hurley?
Go to Kilkenny when school gets out and you’ll see how many kids are carrying hurleys. That’s a one sport county though.
 
I see Argentina beat New Zealand in New Zealand today.

Embarrassing that anyone thought Ireland winning 2/3 games against such a poor All Blacks side was the country’s greatest ever sporting achievement.

Jesus wept.
 
I, like others here, poked fun at the Oireland brigade last summer when they hilariously decided for the rest of the country that beating New Zealand in a couple of friendly rugby matches amounted to Ireland’s greatest ever sporting achievement. However, full credit to the players and management: if they finish the Six Nations job today, they will rightly enter the upper echelons of sporting achievement in the country’s history. I can only see a statement win today and think Ireland will win by 21+ points.
 
feck that, winning a trophy that only six countries compete in (and one doesn't even really take seriously) means bugger all. Stupid rugby.
 
Feck them. Maybe if they win the world cup I'll consider it a good achievement.
 
this isn’t the strongest of six nations, it’s only really been france to beat. scotland are good on their day but they lack the game management needed for the highest level currently. england and wales are nowhere and italy is a slightly better version of italy. the world cup will define them.
 
Buchan said:
I, like others here, poked fun at the Oireland brigade last summer when they hilariously decided for the rest of the country that beating New Zealand in a couple of friendly rugby matches amounted to Ireland’s greatest ever sporting achievement. However, full credit to the players and management: if they finish the Six Nations job today, they will rightly enter the upper echelons of sporting achievement in the country’s history. I can only see a statement win today and think Ireland will win by 21+ points.
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Eh? They’ve already won the grand slam. Three times. Most recently just 5 years ago.
 
I have no love lost for the rugger crowd myself but you have to respect a Grand Slam achievement, particularly when Ireland has so few of them.

As an aside, the gap is closing to the more traditional rugby hotbeds with the Irish province academies churning out remarkable talent nowadays. Grand Slams, in the shake-up at World Cups etc. should be common feats now as Ireland are lightyears ahead of the Scotlands and the Wales’ of the game with only the big three Southern Hemisphere teams and possibly France and England on their day being opponents to fear.

Does that diminish their achievements? To some, yes. But for a country and player pool so small, to be world class at anything is worth celebrating.
 
Massive Spanner said:
feck that, winning a trophy that only six countries compete in (and one doesn't even really take seriously) means bugger all. Stupid rugby.
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Two don't take it seriously and one barely can count as 'competing' in it. That leaves you Ireland and Wales absolutely loving it and Scotland. :wenger:
 
Fair play to the ruggers

but I maintain if Ireland somehow qualify from their group for Euro 24 it would be a more difficult and impressive achievement

Flame shields on

edit: I will save you googling. We have; France, Holland, Greece, Gibraltar
 
rimaldo said:
this isn’t the strongest of six nations, it’s only really been france to beat. scotland are good on their day but they lack the game management needed for the highest level currently. england and wales are nowhere and italy is a slightly better version of italy. the world cup will define them.
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This is spot on!

Only France were going to be their closest challengers. The rest were nowhere near going to come close.
 
I really don't get Rugby at all it is truly such a horrible sport to watch and the fact it's played mostly by upper class doesn't help at all.
 
lsd said:
I really don't get Rugby at all it is truly such a horrible sport to watch and the fact it's played mostly by upper class doesn't help at all.
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unless you’re taking home 6 figures it is hard to follow tbh.
 
Reditus said:
Fair play to the ruggers

but I maintain if Ireland somehow qualify from their group for Euro 24 it would be a more difficult and impressive achievement

Flame shields on

edit: I will save you googling. We have; France, Holland, Greece, Gibraltar
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It would be a lot more unlikely, that’s for damn sure!

Not really sure a team should be allowed to earn the most impressive achievement ever as a result of lowering the bar by being shit for years in advance.
 
lsd said:
I really don't get Rugby at all it is truly such a horrible sport to watch and the fact it's played mostly by upper class doesn't help at all.
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It’s mostly working class in the UK. Weirdly in Ireland it’s the posh cnuts who like it though.
 
Massive Spanner said:
It’s mostly working class in the UK. Weirdly in Ireland it’s the posh cnuts who like it though.
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Rugby Union is definitely not a working class sport in the UK. It's probably more of a posh cnut sport than Cricket at least from a major city perspective.
 
Cant understand how a nation which im part off, playing their 4th national game is best in the world,
 
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