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The top ten Irish people of all time - SEE PHOTOS

IrishCentral’s list of influential male and female Gaels

FRIEDA KLOTZ,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 5:40 AM

Updated Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 6:03 AM

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24 Comments

Queen Maeve

SEE PHOTOS - The top ten Irish people of all time

An Irish magazine just came out with a list of the top ten Gaels of all time. We know it’s hard to include all the right people in a list, but we were surprised to see this one had not a single woman.

Ever since Queen Maeve took up arms against her husband, Conor, because he had a bull that she wanted, Ireland has been known for its strong women. Female activists and artists have long had a role in Ireland’s culture.

What women would you include in a list of great Irish Gaels?

We thought about about former president Mary Robinson, who was high commissioner at the UN and continues to work to promote human rights. And Samantha Powers, a journalist, public policy professor and former advisor to Obama. And Veronica Guerin, a reporter dogged in her pursuit of Dublin criminals until they gunned her down in 1996.

What about Sinead O’Connor for her musical talent and controversial public gestures? (Ok, we’re not going to include her in the top 10 – but she’d make it into a top 50 list, for sure).

We’d also like to include Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Betty Williams who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for their work in Belfast. Going back in time a little, there’s Maud Gonne, Yeats’ muse and an actress and feminist in her own right, and Countess Markievicz, who wore pants and carried a gun in the 1916 rising.

Here’s irishcentral’s list, a mix of influential male and female Gaels. We probably haven’t got everyone, and there are more we’d like to add.

1. William Butler Yeats
2. Mary Robinson
3. Veronica Guerin
4. Samuel Beckett
5. James Joyce
6. Michael Collins
7. Eamon De Valera
8. Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Betty Williams (joint)
9. Samantha Powers
10. Heck, why not Queen Maeve!

Who do you think is worthy of a place in the top ten?

SEE PHOTOS - The top ten Irish people of all time

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24 Comments

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torbreezy | Jan 19, 2011, 07:31 PM EST

Huh? Ever hear of St. Patrick???

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seanomelbourne | Jan 19, 2011, 05:42 PM EST

Childers the senior.He was part of the delegation the discussed the treaty with Britain and held on to his principals"no partition" He also ran guns from Germany in his yacht the "Asgard".His career was cut short when he was executed by Collins'FreeStaters. He was murdered for carrying a pistol,ironically, a pearl handled colt a wedding gift from Collins.

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Searlit | Jan 19, 2011, 01:40 PM EST

seanomelbourne, I like your list, too. I could add to the ten: St. Brigit, Brian Boru, Daniel O'connell, the Four Masters, and more.

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eileend | Jan 19, 2011, 12:08 PM EST

Grania, St. Bridgit, and Brian Boru

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GeorgeDillon | Jan 19, 2011, 02:49 AM EST

seanomelbourne: I like your list, but do you mean Erskine Childers senior or junior? Junior, the guy who became president, was an utter mediocrity who had no achievement. His dad was English, murdered by the Free State government. A brave man, but again he didn't achieve much.

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GeorgeDillon | Jan 19, 2011, 02:47 AM EST

Schenck: Columba was of course Irish.

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GeorgeDillon | Jan 19, 2011, 02:47 AM EST

Who is Samantha Powers? How can the greatest Irish person be someone I never heard of? Garbage poll. By the way, do you people know any history? How come everyone is 20th century or later? (assuming that Samantha P is not some 16th century warrior!). Your standards are really low.

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seanomelbourne | Jan 19, 2011, 01:36 AM EST

Burke and Grattan both anti-Catholic royalist

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bradybradyisaid | Jan 19, 2011, 12:36 AM EST

Don't know how far back you want to go with this. Saint Patrick has to be the leader. I know he wasn't born there, BUT! I would place Bobby Sands, Bernadette Devlin Gerry Adams in #8, #9 #10. For its size, Ireland is the most influential Country in the World. I would have a difficult time publishing top 50. Thank you for this opportunity. This is my first time on this site. Plan to read it often.

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Schenck2 | Jan 19, 2011, 12:25 AM EST

I'm not Catholic and maybe he's not really Irish but I thought St. Columba came from Ireland, bringing Christianity to the Scots and Picts. Celtic Christianity seems the better way to appeal to folks. We have St. Patrick , a Brit, and St. Columba & company to thank.

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AitkenDrum | Jan 18, 2011, 09:13 PM EST

Edmund Burke and Henry Grattan would head my list along with James Connolly.

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CanadianPat | Jan 18, 2011, 07:58 PM EST

After I seen that I was not on the list ,I realized it was a load of shite! LOL!!But really Dev,Corrigan,and Williams ?

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LittleBear | Jan 18, 2011, 06:03 PM EST

And where is Maureen O'Hara on you list, Frieda? And Bobby Sands? Granuaile?

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seanomelbourne | Jan 18, 2011, 04:36 PM EST

Countess Markovic,Wolf Tone.Robert Emmet,Granuaile,James Connolly,Roger casement,Erskine Childers,Anne Devlin,Bobby Sands and no's 6,7 above.