Kellie Harrington's 'Grace' and Katie Taylor are the nation's favourites in end of year poll
The 2024 Teneo Sport and Sponsorship Index (TSSI) reflects a summer of being gripped by the Paris Olympics and the popularity of Ireland's top female athletes
Ireland's golden girls in the ring and on the track have provided the most memorable moments for the country this year, according to the 2024 Teneo Sport and Sponsorship Index (TSSI).
Now in its 15th year, the TSSI is a comprehensive 1,000 person nationally representative survey with quotas imposed across gender, region, age, and social class.
The research was carried out by Teneo’s Sports Advisory team and iReach Insights and examines the Irish general public’s attitudes towards sport and their sporting heroes.
READ MORE:Kellie Harrington belts out Irish ballad Grace at Roland Garros after winning Olympic gold
READ MORE:Katie Taylor still has a wish list to complete before retiring, says Eddie Hearn
The survey was carried out between December 5 and December 13 and, in a year when the Paris Olympics took centre stage, it revealed that Kellie Harrington’s unforgettable rendition of ‘Grace’ with Irish supporters at Roland Garros following her gold medal bout was declared the Most Memorable Sporting Moment, receiving 14% of the vote.
In joint second place on 11% are Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy’s defence of their Olympic title in the men’s lightweight double sculls - and the moment Katie Taylor’s hand was raised in victory following her fight with Amanda Serrano.
Joint fourth went to the Irish women's 4x400m relay team finishing fourth in the Olympics, Daniel Wiffen's poolside interview after winning gold in the Olympic 800m freestyle and Ciarán Frawley’s last-gasp drop goal gives the Ireland men’s rugby team just their second ever test match win in South Africa.
Although the Texas showdown in November was her only fight in 2024, Taylor held onto the title of Ireland's Most Admired Athlete for the eighth year in a row with 15% of the vote.
Rhasidat Adeleke made her first appearance on the list as the country's second most admired athlete with 11% of the vote after winning silver in the 400m at the European Championships and finishing fourth in the Olympics, with Harrington in third place after winning back to back Olympic golds with 10%.
Harrington's fellow back-to-back Olympic gold-medallists Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy share fourth spot with Ireland and Connacht rugby centre, Bundee Aki, on 7%, with jockey Rachael Blackmore in sixth on 5%.
Adeleke was also part of the Irish women's 4x400m relay team that were European silver medallists and Olympic finalists - also finishing in fourth - and they are third on the list of Team of the Year with 14%.
The Ireland men's rugby team was in second with 17% after successfully defending the Six Nations title and drawing the summer tour with world champions South Africa.
The 2023 Team of the Year, the Ireland men’s rugby team, takes second place with 17% following their successful defence of the Six Nations title earlier this year.
Team Ireland's seven-medal haul topped the poll with 28% of the vote, an accolade they also won in 2021 after the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Irish Paralympics Team, who won six medals in Paris this summer, were voted fourth in Team of the Year with 12%.
Gaelic games (Gaelic football, Ladies Gaelic football, hurling and camogie) was voted Ireland’s Favourite Sport for the seventh consecutive year, on 20%.
Soccer (men’s and women’s) remains Ireland’s second favourite sport with 18%, followed closely by rugby (men’s, women’s and 7s) on 15%.
Tennis and golf share fourth position on 5%, while athletics drops down one spot to sixth taking 4% of the vote alongside horse racing and motorsport.
As this research has highlighted for over a decade, the nation’s love of sport runs deep with 88% of all adults being interested in sport.
However the nation’s diverse interest in sport is reflected with large numbers being interested in golf (23%), athletics (21%), tennis (17%) and horse racing (16%).
The event most people are looking forward to in 2025 is the Men's Six Nations, which took 30% of the vote. The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was second on the list with 15%, while the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship took third spot on 12%.
Although the Irish team did not qualify, the Women’s UEFA European Championships ranked fourth with 7%.
One in five (20%) of all adults volunteered at a sporting club or sports initiative in 2024 with the average amount of time spent volunteering being just under nine hours per month. The highest rate of sports volunteering is among 35 to 44 year olds, where one in four (24%) volunteered in the last 12 months.
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