Gaelic Football, Wexford - 17 games
Wexford managed the feat between 1915 and 1918, winning All-Ireland finals in each year. The streak started with a 3-5 to 1-3 Leinster final replay win over Dublin and ended in 1919, when they didn't make the semi-finals of Leinster.
Organising games was particularly difficult in that year, with public meetings banned in 13 counties. It was claimed by their Tipp final opponents in 1918 that they had gotten the ball over the line for a goal in the last seconds before a Wexford back had scooped it back. Unluckily for Tipp, Hawkeye was nearly a century away.
Hurling, Kilkenny - 21 Games
Sticking to the County championship the longest run is, surprise, surprise, by Kilkenny. The Cats began their run with a 1-23 to 1-9 victory over Westmeath in June 2006, a Leinster semi-final. Tipp famously stopped their 'drive for five', and in turn their record run, in the 2010 All-Ireland final, winning 4-17 to 1-18.
Rugby - 10 Games
There's no time like the present, Ireland are currently enjoying their longest winning run with ten games. The feat had been achieved by Ireland during 2002-3 also. That run started with a thumping of Romania in Thomond, a 39-8 victory. Russia, Georgia, Fiji and Argentina also fell as well as the bigger guns of Australia, Italy, France, Scotland and Wales. A 25-24 win over Wales in Cardiff would be the last win. England ended the streak in a best forgotten 42-6 loss in Dublin.
The current run started with a 46-7 win over Italy last year. France were then famously beaten in the Six Nations decider last year in the second game of the streak. Argentina would fall twice on home soil in the summer series before Australia and South Africa went the same way in the autumn internationals.
Six nations wins this year over Italy, France and England complete the run. With Ireland playing Wales in a vital game next week, it will give the current team a chance to own the record outright. Amazingly, seven of the world's top ten are included in the run. New Zealand, Samoa and Wales are the exceptions.
Soccer - 8 games
Our greatest ever streak in soccer started with a home win against Brazil, naturally enough. Only 17,000 showed up on May 23rd 1987 to see Liam Brady score the sole goal in a victory for the ages. The next three wins would be in crucial European qualifiers, Luxembourg were accounted for 2-0 and 2-1 while Bulgaria went down 2-0 in Dublin.
The last four games of the run were friendlies, which Ireland won a cumulative 12-1. Israel (5-0), Romania (2-0), Yugoslavia (3-0) and Poland (3-1) were all beaten soundly in Lansdowne road. The streak came to an end in June 1986 when we would draw 0-0 with Norway in Oslo.
