Ireland, also known as the Land of Saints and Scholars, is an island best known to the world for river-dancing, scenic landscapes, folklore, and Gaelic music. However, it is also home to hundreds of athletes that have reached the peak of their respective sports. Roy Keane, Mikey Ward, Ruby Walsh, and Keith Wood are only a few such examples.
Though, when the words sports and Ireland get used in the same sentence, boxing is usually the first thing that comes to mind. That is so due to the phrase the fighting Irish, boxing’s long tradition in the country, and the fact that it is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport. Yet, in terms of participation, association football is the most popular sporting activity in Éire. That is unsurprising, given that football dominates all regions in this category. Thanks to the rise of online sports betting and platforms like Unibet offering promo deals like the Unibet new customer bonus, more people than ever are engaging in football betting, swelling this sport’s profile globally. That said, Irish football is not where it once was, so today, most of the nation’s stars come from other athletic endeavors. Below, we list the current three most popular ones doing their homeland proud.
Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor burst onto the scene in 2013, when he made his UFC debut against Marcus Brimage in Stockholm, winning by KO. He earned his way into the world’s premium MMA organization by capturing the Cage Warriors featherweight and lightweight championships the year before. Following his first UFC fight, McGregor proclaimed that he would replicate this feat in his new organization. He did, only two years later. The Dublin-born fighters contest against Russian Khabib Nurmagemdov is the highest-grossing MMA event of all time. Despite his recent run-ins with the law, Forbes ranked McGregor as the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2021.
Rory McIlroy
Golf may not be the most loved sport on the planet, and it may be on the decline, but it is still super popular in Ireland. According to many pros, it has some of the best courses on Earth, ones that boast jaw-dropping scenery. The country’s most successful player ever is Rory McIlroy, the former world number one golfer per the Official World Golf Ranking. Though, that was some nine years ago. Right now, McIlroy is not at the level he was during his epic early to mid-2010 stretch when he became the youngest player to reach career earnings of $10 million on the PGA Tour. In 2011 and 2014, he also won the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year award. Nevertheless, Rory is still active, winning championships here and there, maintaining his visibility and image.
Dónal Óg Cusack
Hurling is a native Irish sport drawing roots from ancient Gaelic history. Thus, it is one few sporting fans outside of the UK know. Yet, in Ireland, total yearly attendance at hurling matches often overshadows those at football ones. The most massive star this sport has ever produced is Dónal Óg Cusack, who began his career in his native city of Cloyne and dominated the National League from 1996 to 2013. He often gets credited as being the first openly gay elite sportsman in Ireland. Cusack remains an active player in his mid-40s.
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