90 years on, Michael Collins ranks as Britain's second most dangerous enemy

Before Collins' aging father died, he reputedly sat up on his death bed, pointed to his very young son Michael and declared to those assembled: "Take care of that young lad. He'll do great things for Ireland!" The rest is history. As a young post office worker in London, on getting wind of an impending scrap with the Brits back home, he returned to Ireland to take part in 1916, ironically in the GPO, as the ailing Plunkett's aid-de-camp. Terminally ill Plunkett had discharged himself form hospital to fight in the GPO. The mantle was again passed on to him by Dev after. Gee! He never got to be a boy? (See Neil Jordan's laudable film dramatisation "Michael Collins".) Still, a very full life. Fighting a highly effective guerilla war against Black & Tan Br[u]tish state terrorists. Bonking high society American-English heiresses. And establishing an interim three-quarer province state. No doubting English sporting flair. They appreciate a nobel adversary. Though I suspect the unfinished business of Northern[ised] Ireland influenced their choice of silver medallist this time round. "By George, Collins old chap. You gave our blackguards a jolly good run for their money back in '16. Quite right too, by jove. It certainly was jolly good cricket old chap!" - General Sir Archibold Bullseye, MBE. KG.

I would suggest Shane the Proud or Owen Roe from the UNeill clann. Most people in Ulster might agree with me that Hugh even though he was a feirce warior against the occupier he was also a bit of a bed hopper to the british, where as his uncle Shane was ruthless to the end to the british theives.Eoghan Rua hated the british planters in Ireland and returned to Ireland to fight many successful battles against the infidel.Proud sons of Ulster the UNeill all of them in the truly last Gaelic strong hold of Eireann.Beannacht de Michael Collins, the Ulster gael remembers you.

GeorgeD: Everyone on the list eventually lost except George Washington and Michael Collins. So there has to be more to it.

90 YEARS ON AND IRELAND AND THE IRISH HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH ENGLAND AND THE UK ... ITS THE YEAR 2012 NOW IRELAND HAS MOVED ON ... IM IRISH I LIVE IN IRELAND AND I WAS BORN HERE .. I THINK THE WAY YOU PORTRAY US IS TOTALLY WRONG AND VERY INSULTING ... I WISH MOST OF YOU COULD SEE WE IRISH HAVE A FAR BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BRITSIH OUR NEIGHBORS AS WE DO THE AMERICANS AND THEIR HOLLYWOOD FANTASY IMAGE OF IRELAND ... PLEASE WAKE UPTO IRELAND IN THE YEAR 2012 AND STOP LIVING IN THE PAST ..

kevin714: I too had thought of Hugh O Neill. You're right that he had a string of victories against the English. Had he won the last one he would truly have been England's greatest nemesis. But he didn't.

Springfield9, I think that saying that Mick Collins brought the English to heel is a bit of a reach. More realistically, the Oglaigh na h'Eireann brought the English to a peace conference in London. Michael Collins had help. In the same way that the Provisional Oglaigh na h'Eireann brought the English to the peace conference in Belfast. Neither brought the English to their heels. Neither were the responsibility of one man. We can celebrate Mick Collins without ignoring the rest of his comrades in the struggle, Pearse, DeValera, Stack, Brugha, Treacy, Lynch, Breen, Barry (Tom not Kevin), Traynor, O'Malley and O'Connor to name but a few! Collins was a great leader, but hardly singlehandedly took down the Brit empire. Finally, for whatever reason, Collins did accept half a loaf as better than none.

1.25m well armed Ulstermen, Fallsr, I hope your not speculating that the men from counties of Donegal,Cavan and Monaghan that make up the nine counties of Ulster and the Nationalists of the other counties in that province of Ireland were prepared to fight Michael Collins and the IRA.

How could Hugh O'Neill be so overlooked? Did I miss something? He literally defeated the british/english for years and was inches from being King of Ireland, a free state 400 yrs before Collins. He won or fought them to a stand still in every engagement except one. Can anyone explain?

even though my great great grandad fought alongside Collins, it is a bit disengenuos to say that MC brought the brits to heel as Ireland is still partitioned & almost certainly would have if Collins lived, Ireland was in no position to fight a civil war with 1.25m well armed highly motivated ulstermen.

Erm, Ataturk? Really? This poll has clearly been highjacked by voters from the candidates' own nations. Clearly the Turkish voters were just slightly better organised than the Irish. It's completely meaningless.

Springfield9: You are correct that the Free State forces committed shocking atrocities and mass murders. But to be fair to Collins, he was already dead when most of these outrages occurred. It is possible that had he lived he would have tried to put a halt to these obscenities. We'll never know.

Staker42 - Perhaps the "killer" issue is larger than you might think. Why would the West turn on Collins? Could it be because his Free State forces were commiting the same (or worse) atrocities upon the Irish people that the Tans?

Collins had a "fire in his belly" that Ataturk could never match. Keep in mind that he brought the British to heel without a military logistics system.

He definitely was and Irish hero !!

Not sure the poll has much meaning. Of far greater importance it seems to me is how Michael Collins killer was found and brought to justice.