In the same research, Katie Taylor was named Most Admired Athlete.

The Teneo Sport and Sponsorship Index (TSSI) for 2018 has been released, and discovered for the first time in nine years, GAA has overtaken soccer as Ireland's most popular sport. The index involves a 1,000-person nationally representative survey with quotas imposed across gender, region, age and social class examining the Irish general public’s attitudes towards sport and their sporting heroes. With 21%, GAA is now the most popular sport in Ireland, followed by Soccer (19%), Rugby (14%), with Athletics, Tennis, Golf, and Swimming all getting 3% each. Meanwhile, Katie Taylor was found to be the most admired athlete, with 19% of the vote, followed by Jonathan Sexton (11%), the O'Donovan Brothers (10%), Peter O'Mahony (6%), Joe Canning (4%), and Conor Murray (4%). No mention of Conor McGregor in this listing. So of the other highlights include Ireland's Greatest Sporting Achievement of the year going to Ireland beating New Zealand in the Autumn Internationals, and the 2019 Rugby World Cup being the most anticipated sport event for next year. Check out the full findings here: