After a little bit of research on the web, I've come up with a grand total of 43, including (West) Waterford's David McCarthy, who ran an awe-inspiring 3.57.75 at a recent indoor meet in the US!
A flotrack video of David's race is located here and is well worth a viewing, or three:
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234643/148270-m-
My research extended as far as rolling up the following two web links:
http://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/irelandsmilers.htm
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055493489
The list referred to in the boards.ie thread is not indexed by Google, or at least I cannot find it.
I have compressed the lists found in the two articles above with David McCarthy's own recent time into the following 43 man list:
Time Name Date Note
3:49.77 Ray Flynn 07/07/1982
3:49.78 Eamonn Coghlan 27/02/1983 Indoor
3:50.62 Mark Carroll 28/07/2000
3:50.94 Marcus O'Sullivan 13/02/1988 Indoor
3:51.06 Frank O'Mara 10/09/1986
3:53.93 Niall Bruton 05/07/1996
3:54.48 Dave Taylor 13/07/2003
3:54.62 James Nolan 07/09/2003
3:54.63 Gerry O'Reilly 14/06/1986
3:54.68 Tommy Moloney 08/07/1986
3:54.70 John Hartnett 20/06/1973
3:55.00 Jim McGuinness 11/07/1977
3:55.04 Alistair Cragg 21/01/2006 Indoor
3:55.40 Niall O'Shaughnessy 28/01/1977 Indoor
3:55.82 Paul Donovan 03/07/1984
3:55.91 Gary Lough 01/01/1995 Exact date?
3:56.36 Steve Martin 01/01/1986 Exact date?
3:56.36 Enda Fitzpatrick 09/07/1985
3:56.78 Frank Conway 22/01/1989 Indoor
3:57.50 Ronnie Delany 06/08/1958
3:57.61 Gareth Turnbull 27/04/2002
3:57.75 David McCarthy 14/02/2009 Indoor
3:57.81 Paul Lawther 01/01/1983 Exact date?
3:58.09 Ken Nason 24/06/1995
3:58.10 Frank Murphy 07/06/1969
3:58.19 David Campbell 16/02/2008
3:58.42 Sean O'Neill 07/07/1987
3:58.54 Eugene Curran 08/07/1987
3:58.71 Des English 25/06/1994
3:58.96 Andrew Walker 29/10/2000
3:58.99 Mark Christie 06/08/2005
3:59.12 Gerry Kiernan 19/06/1976
3:59.23 Shane Healy 20/06/1966
3:59.24 Derek Graham 20/08/1966
3:59.37 Peter McColgan 18/07/1986
3:59.40 Kieran Stack 06/02/1988 Indoor
3:59.48 James McIlroy 06/08/2005
3:59.52 Gary Murray 06/08/2005
3:59.67 Mark Kirk 13/07/1986
3:59.80 Basil Clifford 03/08/1964
3:59.84 Seamus McCann 05/07/1988
3:59.90 Davey Wilson 30/05/1991
3:59.91 Brian Treacy 07/08/1999
Please, please, please let me know if any of my information is wrong or out of date...
Paul Donovan & Northern Athletes
Is Paul Donovan the only Galway man on list? What about Northern athletes?
Answers...
Looks like Paul is the only Galway athlete alright. Corrections and otherwise are very much welcomed.
Northern Irish athletes are included in the list above - see the two articles whose own lists are conflated hereabouts!
Gerry Reilly from Loughrea
Gerry Reilly from Loughrea is also high up there on the list.
wow .. really the same Gerry..?
Is that really the same Gerry..? He doesn't have an "O" in his name as far as i know. I didn't really follow atheltics as closely back then, but Gerry O'Reilly competed in Seoul and was 6'2" - I know Gerry Reilly was a great runner but didn't know he was that great.
I have a suspicion that
I have a suspicion that Neville Davey from Mayo may have dipped under the 4 minute barrier some time around 2000. I wonder can anyone confirm this ?