9 Famous Irish Athletes

Do you want to know some of the most famous Irish athletes?

Ireland is not lacking in stars when it comes to sports. There are many famous Irish athletes who have achieved fame and success in their chosen sports. Only a few are able to reach their levels of skill and success, especially in a nation quite small like Ireland with only a population of roughly 5 million.

Without further ado, here is our list of the most famous Irish athletes worth noting.

9 Famous Irish Athletes

1. Conor McGregor

Said to be the highest paid Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, professional mixed martial artist Conor “The Notorious” McGregor is one of the most famous Irish athletes ever. His UFC 229 fight against Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 drew the most pay-per-view buys ever for an MMA event at 2.4 million PPV purchases.

Hailing from Crumlin, County Dublin, Ireland, McGregor’s first passion was football, playing the sport for Lourdes Celtic Football Club as a kid. When he was 12, McGregor decided he would stand up against his bullies and boost his self-esteem by training at Crumlin Boxing Club.

McGregor’s rise from his humble beginnings to becoming the richest MMA fighter with the net worth of $200 million has been sustained by his fierce strength and skillful fighting fashion paired with his top-notch skill in martial arts.

2. Michael Fassbender

 

Critically-acclaimed German-born Irish actor Michael Fassbender was raised in Killarney, Ireland, and is best known for portraying a sex addict in the 2011 British psychological erotic drama film Shame. He also played the role of supervillain Magneto in X-Men: First Class (2011).

However, apart from being a first-class actor, Fassbender is also a famous Irish athlete. Starting his auto racing career in 2017, he has raced for some major racing competitions in Europe.

Fassbender has always been hooked on the sport. Before he ventured into acting, auto racing was his “first dream.” Despite his busy schedule as an actor, Fassbender remains active as an amateur car racer for Porsche, competing in various races.

READ MORE:  13 Interesting Facts About Michael Fassbender

3. Brian O’Driscoll

One of the world’s most successful rugby players of all time, famous Irish athlete Brian O’Driscoll is the record holder for playing the most matches as a team captain as well as the most try scores in the history of rugby union in his country. He is the number four most-capped player in the sport’s history.

O’Driscoll comes from a rugby family. His father Frank also played rugby union, and so did his father’s cousins Barry and John O’Driscoll.

O’Driscoll led Ireland to a Grand Slam victory after 61 years. In 2016, he was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

As a child growing up in Dublin, O’Driscoll played Gaelic football first before he decided to switch to rugby. He remains a big football fan today, supporting the English football club Manchester United FC.

4. Roy Keane

 

Inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021, Roy Keane has once been named by Pelé himself as one of the world’s greatest living footballers.

Alongside Denis Irwin, Keane is the all-time most successful football player to have come out of Ireland, with 19 major career championships to hoot.
Keane is an exceptional athlete. For a footballer who was not so gifted with elaborate skills in the sport, he managed to be the most successful player of his generation.

While his passing skill is not cited very often, it was top-notch. This was thanks to his acute intelligence paired with his boundless energy and extraordinary positional sense.

5. Rory McIlroy

The Official World Golf Ranking’s former number one, Rory McIlroy was born and raised in Northern Ireland’s County Down. He has spent more than 100 weeks at the top spot during his career so far. He is one of just three golfers to bag 4 major championships at below 25 years old, the other two being Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

McIlroy’s father, an avid golfer himself, got him into the sport when he was just a toddler. As the years went by, his interest in golf grew so much so that his parents would work extra hours and numerous jobs to support his golf progress.

His parents’ efforts paid off. At 7, McIlroy became a member of Hollywood Golf Club McIlroy in Belfast. He has marked his name in the sports and gone on to sign a deal with Nike as its brand ambassador.

Decades later since he first played golf as a toddler, Rory McIlroy has yet to slow down.

6. Becky Lynch

Born Rebecca Quin in Limerick, Ireland, but grew up in Baldoyle, a suburb of Dublin, Becky Lynch assumed the name “Rebecca Knox” when she first wrestled, teaming up with her brother Richy (ring name: Gonzo de Mondo).

In 2013, she moved to Florida, USA, and signed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), using a new ring name – “Becky Lynch” – a few months later.

After winning the WWE championship belt four times, Lynch was listed as one of the Top Female Athletes Worldwide, simultaneously holding both the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Raw Women’s Championship.

7. Katie Taylor

Widely deemed as one of the world’s greatest female boxers of all time, Katie Taylor hails from Bray, County Wicklow, hence her monicker “The Bray Bomber.”

Her father, Pete Taylor, is a former boxing champion himself (in light heavyweight division in Ireland). He taught her daughter how to box when she was 12 years old.

Since then the younger Taylor has remained the undisputed and undefeated world champion in women’s lightweight division at 22 wins as of writing. This includes 6 championship titles and 6 knockouts.

Katie Taylor is credited with uplifting the profile and image of women’s boxing worldwide.

Taylor fights in lightweight and Light welterweight divisions. Since 2017, she has held the WBA title and there is still no sign of Taylor slowing down.

8. Stephanie Roche

Stephanie Roche’s love for football began at an early age. Growing up in Shankill, a suburb of Dublin, Roche joined football matches with other neighborhood kids.

Roche was part of the Cabinteely Girls’ Club before she acquired a college football scholarship. She has the most illustrious career in women’s football, becoming famous for playing as striker for Peamount United in the WNL.

During her professional football career, Roche has managed to play in various international teams such as American, French, English, and Italian.

In 2014, Roche bagged the FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of the year. She is married to fellow Irish footballer Dean Zambra.

9. Finn Bálor

While growing up in Bray, County Wicklow, Finn Bálor partook in football and Gaelic football, but he watched a lot of World Wrestling Federation (WWF – now WWE) and admired wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels, Koko B. Ware, Savio Vega, and Rick Rude.

He was born Fergal Devitt but has used the name ring Finn Bálor since September of 2014.

He took the name from the Irish legendary character Fionn mac Cumhaill (Anglicized: Finn McCool) and Bálor of the Evil Eye who is a malevolent character from Gaelic mythology. He had used “Prince Nevitt” and “Demon King” prior.

Bálor is a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and one-time WWE Universal (as well as the inaugural) Champion. He has also won the NXT Championship twice.

Bálor lives in Orlando, Florida, USA, with his wife, Mexican journalist Vero Rodriguez.