2013 has so far staked a claim to one of the worst years in Irish sports (at least as far as football and rugby are concerned), Before the end of the year, we've decided to look back at other fairly empty years for Irish sport, years where Ireland under-performed at a range of sports. Here is our ranking the worst years in the history of Irish sport.
5. 2005
Extremely flat year for Irish sport as the football team failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany, ending with a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Switzerland and Brian Kerr's dismissal.
The rugby team, meanwhile endured a year of relative decline. They were tipped for the Six Nations but fell away badly, losing at home to France and in Cardiff, where they had to watch a previously useless Wales team claim the championship (and they were lucky to beat England that year). They ended the year with a couple of abject performances in the November internationals.
4. 1995
After 8 years of consistently strong performances, the Irish football team collapsed in a heap in 1995. An embarrassing 0-0 draw in Leichtenstein in the summer started the rot, two abysmal 3-1 defeats to Austria, a dispiriting 3-0 defeat to Portugal, and a 2-0 defeat to Holland ended our qualification chances which had looked rock solid at the start of the year.
The rugby team were uninspiring but they avoided the wooden spoon by beating Wales and they did succeed in reaching the quarter finals at the World Cup. Sonia O'Sullivan did win Gold at the World Championships in Gothenburg.
3. 1984
Ireland beat the Soviet Union in the opening round of the 1986 qualifying campaign but then proceeded to lose 3-0 in Denmark on their way to a dreadful campaign where the side finished second from bottom.
Ireland lost all of their matches in the Five Nations, gaining the wooden spoon. Their campaign finished with a 32-9 hammering at home to Grand Slam winners Scotland.
It was the centenary of the GAA but a couple of dull one-sided finals saw Cork and Kerry win Liam McCarthy and Sam Maguire.
In the Olympics, John Treacy took home Ireland's only medal, finishing second in the marathon.
2. 1971
The Irish soccer teams' lowest moment puts this near the top of the pile. Ireland came bottom of qualifying for Euro 72, managing 1 point from 6 matches. (The point was secured in 1970). In May, Ireland lost 4-1 to Austria in Dalymount and in October they lost 6-0 to the same opposition in Vienna.
The rugby team had an average year, beating Scotland, drawing with France, but losing at home to England and badly to Wales in Cardiff.
New winners did arrive in the GAA with Offaly winning their first ever All-Ireland football title, beating a Galway team with many of the three-in-a-row team still around in the final. However, the highlight in the sporting year, and a moment which rescues this year from a higher position in the table, came when Babs Keating played much of the 1971 hurling final in his bare feet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTMVEhl39KA
1. 1996
Mick McCarthy's reign as Ireland manager began with six straight defeats during the first half of 1996 before we settled down to watch Euro 96 on television
Ireland came last in the Five Nations, despite securing a victory at home to Wales, they were defeated at home by an average Scotland, soundly beaten, if not disgraced, in Twickenham, and absolutely slaughtered in the Parc des Princes.
At the Olympics in Atlanta, red hot favourite Sonia O'Sullivan imploded traumatically in the 5,000m final. Despite this, we enjoyed (technically) our most successful Olympics ever as Michelle Smith incredibly scooped three gold medals and a bronze in the pool. And how we cherish those achievements.
Near misses:
2007 was almost dropped in because of the terrible year for the Irish football team and the strange and disastrous failure of Ireland at the Rugby World Cup. However, the year was ultimately rescued by Padraig Harrington, hammering England in Croke Park, and the cricketers performance at the World Cup.
2012 was considered due to the performance of Ireland at Euro 2012, the fall away of the Irish rugby team in the Six Nations and the tour in New Zealand but was salvaged by the success of Katie Taylor and the boxers at the Olympics and the sight of Leinster winning an all-Irish Heineken Cup Final in Twickenham.
The performances of the Irish football and rugby teams (both club and international) make 2013 a formidable contender but the year it is not finished yet. In it's defence, the year saw one of the greatest ever GAA seasons.
