Who were the most interesting people of 2014 among the Irish?

Here is our top ten list:

Panti Bliss:

The drag queen’s incredibly moving speech – “Panti’s Noble Call” delivered from the stage of the Abbey Theatre – on homophobia and what it is really like to be targeted for your sexuality all your life. This was the best speech of 2014.

She capped it off by becoming Grand Marshal of the alternative St.Patrick’s Day Parade in New York.

Liam Neeson:

Outspoken and passionate, Neeson showed a different side of himself in 2014. He's more than major action movie actor.

His defense of horse carriages in New York was especially elegant and his intervention in the Irish water charges controversy was surprising but important. Not just a pretty face anymore.

Katie Taylor:

A born-again Christian boxer who seems to manage the contradiction just fine. The Bray native won another world title in 2014 and thanked the Lord. She also slammed Irish national broadcasting company RTE for ignoring her sport, male and female.

Mary Lou McDonald:

Sinn Fein’s Vice President was an irritant to many and beloved by others in 2014. The year certainly announced her presence as a big time politician, someone with a shot at becoming Ireland’s first female leader some day. A name to watch.

Rory McIlroy:

Broken engagement equals world success and regained form. Rory McIlroy is many things but never boring or predictable. Ireland's greatest sportsman always manages to keep it interesting.

The Collison Brothers, Founders of Stripe:

Likely to be Ireland's richest men before their late twenties, Limerick brothers Patrick and John have set Silicon Valley alight with their company Stripe, which seems set to vanquish PayPal among others. Current valuation? $3.5 billion.

Hozier:

At the beginning of the year you would have been hard-pressed to know his name, but by year's end the soulful singer was on first name terms with Letterman and "Saturday Night Live" hotshots. Ireland’s new Van Morrison?

Tom Coughlin:

New York Giants coach looked over the hill and washed up but made a Lazarus comeback late in the year as the team improved dramatically and he unveiled football’s most exciting talent in decades in Odell Beckham Jr. Oldest ever super bowl winning coach in 2016?

Maureen O’Hara:

Just when you thought there could be no more surprises along comes the flame-haired 94-year-old to win an honorary Oscar. Her fiery speech at the award-giving showed she is still in hot-tempered, Irish colleen mode.

Michael D Higgins:


Irish president surpassed his illustrious predecessors with a virtuoso performance on the first state visit to Britain. He may be short in stature, but he is a huge political figure now, undoubtedly the most popular in Ireland.