Vincent O'Brien (Racehorse trainer) - Cork-born racehorse trainer who initially dominated National Hunt racing in these islands, including winning three successive Aintree Grand Nationals with different horses: Early Mist, Quare Times and Royal Tan. He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup four times and the Champion Hurdle on three occasions. After switching to the flat he was acclaimed as one of the world's great trainers, winning the Epsom Derby six times, the Arc de Triomphe on three occasions and scoring in all of the British and Irish Classics more than one once. The Master of Ballydoyle revolutionised the racing and breeding industries, and some of the legendary names he trained include Nijinsky, Sir Ivor, Sadler's Wells, Alleged and Roberto.
Sonia O'Sullivan (Athlete) - The Cobh athlete has been the top middle distance runner in the world for the past eight years. Although an Olympic medal has eluded her, she has become a double World champion and a European champion as well as world record holder over several distances. Her breakthrough came in 1993 at the World Championships where she won a silver medal in the 1,500 metres before going on to win European gold over 3,000 metres the following year in Helsinki. Her crowning glory was the double World Championship Cross Country win in Marakesh, Morocco. The same year she won double European gold on the track.
Stephen Roche (Cyclist) - The man from Dundrum, Dublin, captured the hearts and minds of Irish people with a stunning series of triumphs in the summer of 1987. In the Giro D'Italia he led for 10 days in succession and refused to buckle under the bile of a partisan countryside to claim a superb victory. Few will forget the pictures of him the next month chasing down Pedro Delgado on La Plagne in the Tour de France. It was the seminal moment in ensuring that he wore the maillot jaune into Paris. Roche had agreed to work for Sean Kelly at the ensuing World Championships but the best laid plans collapsed when Kelly lost position and Roche held on for another momentous victory.
Fred Daly (Golfer) - The only Irishman to win the British Open, a feat that he achieved at Hoylake in 1947. Born in Portrush, the diminutive Ulster-man was to consistently challenge for the British Open throughout the late 1940s and early '50s, finishing in the top five on half a dozen occasions.
Ronnie Delany (Athlete) - His victory in the 1,500 metres at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne was achieved against the best collection of runners of that era. The Dublin-born Villanova graduate had carved a reputation for himself as one of the top indoor milers of the generation, winning the Millrose Mile several times.
Angela Downey (Camogie player) - The Kilkenny woman first came to prominence in 1972 when she made her debut in the county jersey. She would go on to earn the mantle of the best camogie player of the post-war era. She failed to match the All-Ireland medal tally of Dublin players Una O'Connor (13) and Kathleen Mills (15), but Downey's collection of 12 medals was a healthy return during her 24-year career. She was the linchpin of Kilkenny's seven-in-a-row team (1985-91).
