John Seamus McInerney’s wondergoal in the MLS the other night got us thinking. Surely the American could qualify as an Irishman by virtue of the Irishness of his name. If we can claim him, then who else can we adopt under the newly installed McInerney Ruling? Here’s a few sports stars, past and present, that we really should have declared as our own earlier.
Tom Brady
The New England Patriots Quarterback has three Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVPs and nine Pro Bowls to his record. Not only is the NFL stalwart of Irish descent but, like most Irish people of his generation, he was raised in a Catholic household.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKEb3DxOev0
Frank and Ken Shamrock
Admittedly this one is reaching and is perhaps a little bit of stereotype/borderline racist. Still, these adopted siblings had such a wealth of MMA titles on their record that it shouldn't be embarrassing to claim them based on a link as flimsy as sharing their name with an Irish emblem.
Jimmy Connors
If you think about it, he sounds more like a bare-knuckle boxer than a tennis player. An Irishman winning Wimbledon twice, how sweet does that sound? It's a pity we didn't try to utilise the grandmother rule that has become standard practice for the Irish soccer team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Job17sJuJtc
Tim Cahill
This Socceroo scored an early contender for goal of the World Cup. If you pronounce his surname a little differently and perhaps change the Tim to a Tomás and you've got yourself an Irishman. If he can continue to rocket it in spectacular volleys, we should definitely look into getting him a harp-embossed passport.
Paul Pierce
This small forward was the stand out performer in the Boston Celtics' triumphant NBA Championship win in 2008. Also, by having a second name that sounds vaguely like one of the leaders of the Easter Rising he qualifies as another athlete we can tenuously tie to the Emerald Isle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56A7kBWLNg4
