THE HUGELY POPULAR Irish beauty blog Beaut.ie has taken the focus off all things female and cast its eye over the men it terms Ireland’s ‘fifty fine things’.

The organisers say that “this ain’t no mere beauty pageant” and that Beaut.ie’s annual Fifty Fine Things competition – which is is now in its third year – is a reader-voted contest that “celebrates Irish men for their achievements, wit, sporting prowess, international standing and only in some cases, their muscles.”

If you think that only bronzed Adonis-like men could get a spot in this poll, you’d be wrong, as it is clear that Irish women like their men to have personality – and balls.

That’s rugby balls, of course, as Brian O’Driscoll, Tommy Bowe, Ronan O’Gara, Gordon D’Arcy and Jonathan Sexton all feature on the list.

And women clearly like their men to have the gift of the gab, as loquacious broadcasters Ryan Tubridy, Ray Darcy and Ray Foley, and brainy comedian Dara O’Briain were all chosen for their talents.

GAA star-turned-fashion-king Paul Galvin, mature Hollywood stars like Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne and young guys Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson (True Grit), also feature on the Fifty Fine Things list.

However, it is perhaps worth noting that only one politician made it through: Senator James Carroll, a Fianna Fail candidate who represents Louth.

Thousands of votes were cast in late February and early March using online polling software, with entries coming from as far afield as the US, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Germany.

To find out the full list, click here.