53% of Irish people see Katie Taylor as Ireland’s greatest current sports star while 75% believe her gold medal at the London Olympic games was the most iconic moment of Irish sport in 2012.  Rory McIlroy was voted Ireland’s second greatest current sports star, with 16% and his win at the 2012 US Open voted as the second most memorable sporting moment of 2012. The fact that McIlroy finished second with just 7% of the vote, compared to Taylor's 75%, is a testament to the incredible extent to which the Bray boxer has captured the hearts of the Irish sporting public.

For 2013 the most anticipated event is the 6 nations championship, with 22% of the vote, while the World Cup qualifiers in football came in second with 19%.

The results are from the Pembroke Communications’ Sports Sentiment Index, which was released earlier today. The Index is the result of a survey which asked 1,000 respondents about their sporting memories of 2012.

The Irish Paralympians were voted the greatest sports team, with the Irish Olympic boxing team in second place and the All Ireland winning Donegal football team coming in in third.

The survey’s main results are included below-

Who, in your opinion, is Ireland’s greatest current sports star? (selected)

53%     Katie Taylor
16%     Rory McIlroy
13%     Brian O’Driscoll
5%      Henry Shefflin
4%      Robbie Keane
3%      Tony McCoy
2%      John Joe Nevin
 

What was the best/most memorable/iconic sporting moment of 2012? (selected)

75%     Katie Taylor winning gold at London 2012
7%       Rory McIlroy winning the US PGA title
6%       Michael McKillop being presented with his gold medal by his Mum
3%       Joe Canning’s last minute equaliser against Kilkenny in the first All-Ireland Hurling Final
3%       Tony McCoy’s win in the Gold Cup
2%       Michael Murphy’s opening goal in the All-Ireland Football Final
2%       Connacht’s first ever win in the Heineken Cup against Harlequins
1%       Sean St Leger scoring for Ireland at the Euros

 In your opinion, which of the following deserve the title of Team of the Year 2012? (selected)

38%     The Irish Paralympic team winning 16 medals in London 2012
23%     The Irish Olympic boxing team winning 4 medals in London 2012
14%     Donegal winning Sam Maguire after 20 years
11%     Leinster winning back to back Heineken Cup titles
4%       Kilkenny senior hurling team retaining their All-Ireland title

What, in your opinion, was the greatest Irish sporting achievement of 2012? (selected) 

60%     Katie Taylor winning the gold at the London 2012 Games
12%     The performance of the Irish Paralympics team in London 2012
6%       Donegal footballers winning the Sam Maguire for the first time since 1992
5%       Rory McIIroy winning the 2012 US PGA Championship 

What sort of impact does Irish sporting success have on the country's reputation overseas?

49%     Meaningful impact
28%     Significant impact
18%     Slight impact
5%      No impact
0%      Negative impact

What sporting event in 2012 provided the most positive image of Irish sport? (selected) 

40%     Olympics
21%     Paralympics
14%     US PGA Championships (Rory McIIroy)
6%      European Championships (Soccer)
6%      All Ireland Football Final
6%      Irish Open Championship (Golf)
5%      All Ireland Hurling Final

 
What are you most looking forward to in 2013? (selected) 

22%     The 6 Nations Championship
19%     The World Cup Qualifying campaign in soccer
15%     The Heineken Cup being hosted in the Aviva Stadium
12%     The All Ireland Football Championship
11%     The All Ireland Hurling Championship
8%      The Cheltenham Festival
5%      The Lions Tour 2013
3%      The 2013 Airtricity League