Rory McIlroy, native of Co Down in Northern Ireland, was ranked the third most marketable athlete in SoccerPro’s annual 50 Most Marketable List.

Donal Og Cusack became the first major athlete in Ireland to state he was gay. He was the goalkeeper for the Cork hurling team and has won three All Ireland medals.

Former World Champion, Olympian, and one of Ireland’s leading sports people, Sonia O’Sullivan was honored at the weekend (13 April 2013) by University College Cork when the new international standard 400 meter running track was re-opened and named the Sonia O’Sullivan Athletics Track at the Mardyke Sports Grounds in Cork. 
 
“We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of one of the world’s greatest athletes, by naming our world class athletics track after Sonia O’Sullivan here in UCC’s Mardyke Sports grounds.  An honorary graduate of UCC, Sonia is an inspiration to athletes everywhere, and particularly for those who will train and compete on this track in the future,” said UCC President Dr. Michael Murphy at the opening.
 
Having trained on the new track earlier in the day, Sonia O’Sullivan was delighted to officially reopen the running track at the Mardyke Sports grounds in UCC and stated that she was honored and privileged to see the running track bear her name.
 
The original running track at the Mardyke was irreparably damaged by the flooding of the River Lee in November 2009.  While half the track was in use for a limited period, the athletics track was closed for major renovations for over six months this year. The university invested €650,000 in the new running track which will be used for training and competitions, by individuals, teams and sport clubs.
 
The opening of the Sonia O’Sullivan Athletics Track is the latest investment and development of sporting facilities at UCC. In 2012 the university celebrated a centenary of sporting success, since the purchase of the Mardyke grounds by UCC in December 1911.  During the UCC Sport 1911-2011 centenary year, a number of significant capital investment projects, including the redevelopment of the Mardyke Pavilion and the opening of the Mardyke Arena phase III development, were completed to ensure that the Mardyke sporting complex continues to enhance the positioning and reputation of UCC as a leading university for sport both in Ireland and internationally.
 
Christine O’Donovan, Director of Sport and Physical Activity (Acting) at UCC said, “Sonia herself trained on the Mardyke running track for many years in the early days, and it was here that we all first witnessed her amazing talent. It’s extremely special to us that the UCC running track will bear her name, and we are thrilled that she is here with us today to mark this important occasion”.
 
The Sonia O’Sullivan Athletics Track was already being put to good use as the Irish University Athletics Association Track and Field Intervarsities were held in the Mardyke Sports grounds at the weekend, with several hundred athletes from all around Ireland competing in the races.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong shares top marks with Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o on the kind of list no athlete wants to find themselves on: the most disliked players in the nation.

NBC Nightly News has hailed the work of Irish athletes helping rebuild Breezy Point in New York after Hurricane Sandy.

After Hurricane Sandy tore through the heart of Breezy Point in Queens, one of the most Irish neighborhoods in America, a group of Irish GAA superstars took it upon themselves to travel twice across the Atlantic to help with the rebuilding.

During their fall break in 2011, two dozen Fighting Irish athletes traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a week of cleanup after a tornado left 50 dead in the community.

Rory Patterson was the match winning hero with two goals as Derry City saw off St. Patrick’s Athletic in extra time in a pulsating FAI Cup final on Sunday.

An official homecoming, at Dublin Airport, for Ireland’s Paralympics team is set to take place on Monday. To date the Irish teams have bagged 15 medals at the London Games, seven gold, three silver and five bronze.

Minister of State for Sport Michael Ring will officially welcome the team back on behalf of the Government at the reception.

This weekend 2,500 US high school and college student athletes, cheer groups, marching bands and key college administrators received a warm welcome from Education in Ireland staff as they arrived in Dublin Airport today (Wednesday 29 August) to take part in the Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT 2012).

Members of the Jordanian Paralympics team, training in Northern Ireland, have appeared in court on charges of sexual assault and voyeurism. The King of Jordan has promised to bring the men back before the court after they were bailed for $7,900 (£5,500) each.

Ireland’s Olympians for 2012, including golden girl Katie Taylor, were welcomed home like heroes on Dawson Street in Dublin on Wednesday. In a ceremony to welcome home and congratulate Ireland’s 66 athletes, 31 were on hand to witness the crowd of 5,000 in Ireland’s capital.

Irish swimmer Barry Murphy is calling for swimming authorities to follow the lead of cycling and introduce biological passports to stop swimmers who are taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Gold-winning athletes from around the world at London’s 2012 Olympics rely on a great diet to keep them at peak performance. And it’s the task of an Irishwoman – Catherine Toolan from Coolaney, Co Sligo – to ensure the thousands of athletes and others in the Olympic Village are properly fed and watered as they bid for sporting glory.

Keith Barry is currently doing some mental work with our Irish athletes, stating that the mind is a powerful force in overcoming obstacles on the way to gold.