Best Irish sporting achiever EVER

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Duke of Marmalade

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Don't get me wrong, what Harrington achieved was fantastic, but before I tell you the BISAE, I want to point out a few flaws in Padraic's claim to that title.

In the first place he is only No. 3 in the world in golf.

Secondly, he has been lucky that the World No. 1 was unable to participate in the last two majors.

Finally, there are at least a half dozen players who have surpassed his achievement of 3 majors, some by a long way.

The BISAE is undoubtedly Aidan O'Brien. This guy is indisputably the best trainer of racehorses on planet Earth. He is currently on course to break the all time record of Group 1 wins in a year.

We reached a World Cup QF and the nation came to a standstill, yet we have a colossus in his field and we hardly notice, shame.:mad:
 
Nothing can take from Padraig Harringtons victories. Tiger Woods was missing but who's to say that Tiger would have beaten Harrington anyway? The people who surpassed his achievement in golf are not Irish.

Was there not a shadow cast over Michelle De Bruins victories?

Aidan O'Brien is indeed top notch.

We also had Ronnie Delaney back awhile. For a small country we've produced some of the finest.
 
Its very hard to compare sportsmen in different fields. However I think we can all agree that he's the best golfer we ever had - and by some distance. For years the triumph of Ireland in the Canada Cup (no I can' remember it) was highlighted as our best ever golfing result. Then Harrington and McGinley equalled that by winning the world cup against a second rate field. However both of those have been surpassed and well surpassed by Harrington's major achievements.
 
Stephen Roche's World Championship, Tour de France and Giro d'Italia wins in 1 season may be the greatest single season by an Irish sports star.
 
John Treacy world cross country champion 2 years back to back. Olympic medallist. Some achievement also.
 
I don't know much about golf, but saying he is"only 3rd in the world" is unfair. How many people play golf at that level? and you can only beat the players that are there. He has won 3 majors in 13 months so I assume there is alot to come yet.
 
Ash 22 said:
I think in racing its the poor horse that deserves the credit!!
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I spent my youth working with race horses. Horses love to run and belive it or not, be infront of other horses. If I was instructed to give a horse a light run I would struggle to hold him/her when other horses ran past us on the training track. and a lot of succesful race horses do take the credit, Red Rum, Best Mate, Istabraq, Dawn Run, Desert Orchid etc
 
I often think when the horse comes to the final few furlongs and you see the jockeys giving them a few whacks, surely the poor horse does'nt enjoy that. Why can't use of whips be banned, I presume the horse will still move.
 
First of all you don't have to be the best in the world at your chosen sport to be the greatest sports person in your Country, secondly if Harrington had shot to last rounds of say level par and still won then I would agree with some of your points, but Harrington shot to 66's as Justin Leonard said it is Tiger like Golf that Harrington played on final 2 days, It is true that Tiger wins 1 in 3 Majors since he won his first Major in 1997 and that is still the case he has played 42 Majors since 1997 and has won 42, so taking that into account of his current trend he may not have won the two majors he was missing.You can't say just because some player was not there that the win is any less undervalued, If's buts pot's and pan's come to mind.
As for Aidan O Brien he is great at training but unless he is the jockey I would not count him,Is is someone else who actually wins the races and not him, like saying the mechanic who looks after the Maclaren car is the greatest in motor sports in 2007. Is Ali's trainer the greatest sports man ever after all he trained Ali. I think this talk of Tiger not playing when Harrington won is just plain old Irish Begrudgery rearing it's ugly head. I thought we as a nation had moved on from that.
Well done Podge don't mind the begrudger's .
 
Most good jockeys don't beat their mounts with whips. Next time you watch a race watch out for the wide movement of the jockeys whip holding arm, they do this to warn the horse of the whip and good jockeys won't hit down hard. Although some will say that the threat of pain is just as bad. For the few years that I was involved I only ever saw one horse with welts from whipping after a race and the turf club fined the jockey for excessive use of the whip.
 
dodo said:
As for Aidan O Brien he is great at training but unless he is the jockey I would not count him,Is is someone else who actually wins the races and not him, like saying the mechanic who looks after the Maclaren car is the greatest in motor sports in 2007. I.
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His record speaks for itself. He is a great Irish sporting achiever He has a horse to work with and has to do his best with that individual animal. Nothing like building a mechanial device.

Would you say Sir Aelx was not a great sporting achiever cos he never kicked a ball in any Man UTD victory?
 
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