Shane Long’s winning goal against Germany was the most memorable moment of the Irish sporting year, according to a newly published survey.
Long scored the historic goal that helped Ireland qualify for Euro 2016, paving the way to a 1-0 win over the World Champions at the Aviva Stadium. This moment came out on top of the poll with 27%.
Long’s goal was considered the most memorable moment ahead of Paul O’Connell’s season-ending injury at the Rugby World Cup in Wales.
O’Connell did top another section in the poll – as the most admired Irish sportsperson. His 22% of the vote narrowly edged out Olympic boxing champion Katie Taylor.
Ireland’s rugby team also came out on top in the race for team of the year, with Martin O’Neill’s Ireland soccer team in second place.
This is perhaps somewhat surprising given that Ireland bombed at the Rugby World Cup, but their soccer counterparts qualified for next year’s Euros.
There were plenty of positives for soccer, with Ireland's Euro qualification selected as sporting achievement of the year and the sporting event Irish people are most looking forward to is France 2016.
Soccer remains Ireland’s most popular sport in 2015, with 21% of the vote, ahead of rugby and Gaelic Games tied on 16%.
These are just some of the headline results from the PSG Sport and Sponsorship Sentiment Index (SSSI).
The SSSI is a 1,000-person national survey, with strict quotas imposed on gender, region, age and social class.
The rise in profile and popularity of Conor McGregor continues. The UFC world champion moves from sixth to third on the ‘most admired’ list at 8%.
This puts him ahead of Irish sporting icons such as AP McCoy, Rory McIlroy and Henry Shefflin.
The impact of successful GAA teams tends to resonate more locally and within county borders, but combined, GAA teams accounted for almost 20% of the votes.
The dominant forces of Kilkenny, Dublin and both Cork ladies sides - football and camogie - scored very highly despite the international successes of the soccer and rugby sides in 2015.
Interestingly, soccer is three times more popular among males (32%) than females (10%). Rugby and Gaelic games (15%) are the most popular sports among females.
