Irish players declaring for other countries?

Jordonvito

I was just wondering to myself, we all know how the irish soccer team get english players with irish parents or grandparents to play for us, do any of ye think its possible that Irish players who feel they wont get the chance to play with Ireland could start declaring their intrests elsewhere, im thinking scotland especially. Maybe we dont have that much talent, but its just a thought.

Four-Percent

I hope it gets to that stage, I'd love to have the depth for it to happen.

athtrasna

there already are, have been for years!!

Kyran Bracken is the one that always stands out for me, his brother played for Ireland at some level IIRC.

Think there's at least one in the current England setup too...was up at 3am, memory not great!!

delta_bravo

Paul Doran Jones has a cap for England and he is from Meath

Sangre

Shane Geraghty.

The players will have to be plying their trades in the countries before they can declare, or qualify via their parents/grandparents. As most players will move to England or France and not Wales or Scotland I doubt this will be endemic. It isn't easier to get into the English or French squad than it is the Irish so therefore they have no incentive to declare, other than affinity to the other country.

Podge_irl

Depends on what you mean by Irish players. Many Irish qualified players have done so e.g. Geraghty, Kennedy etc., but I'm struggling to think of many (or even any) Irish born and bred players who have opted for other nations.

durkadurka

Podge_irl wrote: »

Depends on what you mean by Irish players. Many Irish qualified players have done so e.g. Geraghty, Kennedy etc., but I'm struggling to think of many (or even any) Irish born and bred players who have opted for other nations.

I think bracken was born in skerries,

hinault

I think Paul Doran-Jones is Irish born but has registered, and played for England.

danthefan

Sangre wrote: »

Shane Geraghty.

Is not Irish.

Podge_irl

durkadurka wrote: »

I think bracken was born in skerries,

Yeah, but he moved to England at a very young age didn't he? I can't really think of someone moving elsewhere a la Court or Boss.

pappyodaniel

Luke O'Callaghan from Shannon Co.Clare has been capped by Kazakhstan. There was a documentary about him and the Kazakh international team and their efforts to qualify for the previous world cup.

I think he's fluent in Russian and acted as a translator when it came to the logistics of playing away games.

Sangre

danthefan wrote: »

Is not Irish.

I was trying to answer ashtrasna's question. Wasn't arsed clarifying Mr Geraghty's national identity!

anonymous_joe

delta_bravo wrote: »

Paul Doran Jones has a cap for England and he is from Meath

As English as he is Irish though...

Podge_irl wrote: »

Yeah, but he moved to England at a very young age didn't he? I can't really think of someone moving elsewhere a la Court or Boss.

The IRFU told him he wasn't good enough apparently. And so he went for England.

Johnny O'Connor was asked to play for England wasn't he?

hinault

anonymous_joe wrote: »

As English as he is Irish though...

born here though.

chupacabra

danthefan wrote: »

Is not Irish.

Why not? His parents are irish, he has an irish passport, spent most of his summers in Mayo and lined out for irish underage teams all the way up to U-19 level. Just because Heaslip was born in Israel does that make him Israeli? Or ROG American? Granted Geraghty grew up in England but the fact that he had the choice to play for Ireland makes him both Irish and English, you can't argue with the law.

PhatPiggins

athtrasna wrote: »

there already are, have been for years!!

Kyran Bracken is the one that always stands out for me, his brother played for Ireland at some level IIRC.

Think there's at least one in the current England setup too...was up at 3am, memory not great!!

I didn't/dont think Peter Bracken is any relation to him.

anonymous_joe

hinault wrote: »

born here though.

Was he? Didn't know that.

Then again, we've had so many English born players it's not that much of a loss. ^^

Podge_irl

chupacabra wrote: »

Why not? His parents are irish, he has an irish passport, spent most of his summers in Mayo and lined out for irish underage teams all the way up to U-19 level. Just because Heaslip was born in Israel does that make him Israeli? Or ROG American? Granted Geraghty grew up in England but the fact that he had the choice to play for Ireland makes him both Irish and English, you can't argue with the law.

The ROG and Heaslip comparisons are a bit disingenuous. You couldn't honestly contend Heaslip is Isreali, I mean his dad was there on Irish army duties! Geraghty has spent pretty much his entire life in England. He was Irish qualified, obviously no one is going to argue with that, but I don't think he was Irish in the sense that the OP is asking.

chupacabra

Podge_irl wrote: »

The ROG and Heaslip comparisons are a bit disingenuous. You couldn't honestly contend Heaslip is Isreali, I mean his dad was there on Irish army duties! Geraghty has spent pretty much his entire life in England. He was Irish qualified, obviously no one is going to argue with that, but I don't think he was Irish in the sense that the OP is asking.

So would you say the Ruddock boys are Irish then? Because for all intents and purposes they are Welsh yet they will probably line out for Ireland in the future. Is that fair on Wales? I'm merely making the point that if a player is brought up through the irish system then he should stick with the Irish system because the Irish system is the one that saw the potential in the player and put in the resources to bring him through. Its the same situation with James McCarthy in football, an extremely talented player who was born and raised in Scotland yet has played for Ireland all the way up to U-21 level due to having an irish grandfather and because Scotland had some rubbish policy of not bringing young players through from school level, this resulted him in getting some awful abuse from football fans in Scotland. And now because he is showing some consistent form in the premiership Scotland have come crawling back begging him to come and declare for them again and it looks like he might just do that. Is that fair on Ireland, who put the time and resources in to bring this player up through the ranks? Geraghty may have been brought up in England, but he is still 100% Irish in my eyes and im disappointed he declared for england.

Podge_irl

chupacabra wrote: »

I'm merely making the point that if a player is brought up through the irish system then he should stick with the Irish system because the Irish system is the one that saw the potential in the player and put in the resources to bring him through.

I was under the impression Geraghty was in the English system for a fair bit of underage rugby and only switched to Ireland at U19 or something like that. Could be off the mark with that one though. As far as I'm aware, he doesn't consider himself Irish though, which is about as important a criteria as you're gonna get.

WeeBushy

According to Wikipedia Geraghty was born in England and went to school in England. He played for us at u16s only, and has played for England at every other level. That, to me, is an English man.

RE the Rudducks: I consider them Welsh boys playing for Ireland. On his facebook page Rhys is part of a group "Welsh and proud" or something like that (I'm not a stalker, honest ). Yes its tough on Wales but I aint complaining, Rhys is an awesome player. If it was the other way round however...

powerfade

Phil Murphy, born in Canada to Irish parents but went to school in Methodist College Belfast and has some Irish schoolboy caps. Has a bucketload of caps for Canada. Played with Perpignan and then London Irish until last year, not sure where he is now.

WeeBushy

powerfade wrote: »

Phil Murphy, born in Canada to Irish parents but went to school in Methodist College Belfast and has some Irish schoolboy caps. Has a bucketload of caps for Canada. Played with Perpignan and then London Irish until last year, not sure where he is now.

Does he really count though? He was born there and spent his formative years in Canada.

I think the OP is talking about players similar to, say, Clinton Morisson in soccer. The first time he set foot in Ireland was for his first training squad with the national side. Basically players who have no real affiliation to a country but can still technically play for them. A la Boss (a grand parent) or Flutey under the residency rule.

Luckycharm

Moore the Ozzie hooker has Irish parents could have played for us.

Armetiev (not sure of spelling) playing for Russia could have played for us (don't think he would have made it)

goodFeather

powerfade wrote: »

Phil Murphy, born in Canada to Irish parents but went to school in Methodist College Belfast and has some Irish schoolboy caps. Has a bucketload of caps for Canada. Played with Perpignan and then London Irish until last year, not sure where he is now.

Retired now, spent last season playing in italy.

anonymous_joe

chupacabra wrote: »

So would you say the Ruddock boys are Irish then? Because for all intents and purposes they are Welsh yet they will probably line out for Ireland in the future. Is that fair on Wales? I'm merely making the point that if a player is brought up through the irish system then he should stick with the Irish system because the Irish system is the one that saw the potential in the player and put in the resources to bring him through. Its the same situation with James McCarthy in football, an extremely talented player who was born and raised in Scotland yet has played for Ireland all the way up to U-21 level due to having an irish grandfather and because Scotland had some rubbish policy of not bringing young players through from school level, this resulted him in getting some awful abuse from football fans in Scotland. And now because he is showing some consistent form in the premiership Scotland have come crawling back begging him to come and declare for them again and it looks like he might just do that. Is that fair on Ireland, who put the time and resources in to bring this player up through the ranks? Geraghty may have been brought up in England, but he is still 100% Irish in my eyes and im disappointed he declared for england.

The Ruddock's are properly fifty/fifty. Irish mother, Welsh father.

McCarthy's a massive stroke of luck for us, the Scottish youth coaches treated him like shít. He's also Catholic. 'Darron Gibson' syndrome basically.

Luckycharm wrote: »

Moore the Ozzie hooker has Irish parents could have played for us.

Armetiev (not sure of spelling) playing for Russia could have played for us (don't think he would have made it)

Ireland tried to poach Moore apparently. Artemiev played Irish schools I think?

pappyodaniel

Found it. Good rugby documentary, narrated by Denis Hickie.

Podge_irl

anonymous_joe wrote: »

Ireland tried to poach Moore apparently. Artemiev played Irish schools I think?

There was some issue with Artemiev's time in school not counting for residency qualification purposes wasn't there? Wasn't ultimately going to make it anyway I guess. Hopefully he's getting on well with Russia.

JustinDee

Sangre wrote: »

Shane Geraghty

Shane Geraghty is English. Born in England, Raised in England.
English.

Wreck

Friend of mine plays rugby for Cyprus, was born here to Irish parents and lived here all his life, but qualifies due to a Cypriot grandparent. I'd say there must be a few similar guys playing for the likes of Spain, Portugal etc.

who the fug

JustinDee wrote: »

Shane Geraghty is English. Born in England, Raised in England.
English.

AS British as James Larkin & James Connely , or english like Childers

TarfHead

Luckycharm wrote: »

Moore the Ozzie hooker has Irish parents could have played for us.

Ditto Owen Finnegan. His father's brother and sisters still live around Dublin, one of whom lives beside Mammy Tarfhead.

Kyran Bracken was born in Ireland and lived here 'til the age of 4. He grew up feeling English and came through the English under-age system.

There are few players who have declared for Ireland that might have played for another country. Simon Easterby, Simon Geoghegan, Rob Henderson, Jim Staples.

Sangre

JustinDee wrote: »

Shane Geraghty is English. Born in England, Raised in England.
English.

Hmm, not quite following you. Maybe if you said English once more I might have got it.

wixfjord

JustinDee wrote: »

Shane Geraghty is English. Born in England, Raised in England.
English.

Too right Geraghty is not Irish in the slightest.

d'Oracle

TarfHead wrote: »

There are few players who have declared for Ireland that might have played for another country. Simon Easterby, Simon Geoghegan, Rob Henderson, Jim Staples.

Ross Nesdale, Dionne O Cuinnegan.
Wasn't Maggs Sasanach too?

I recall seeing a transworld sport piece on the European cup of nations.
Something like Half the Luxembourg team were Irish born.:D

toomevara

Almost as bad as an anthem thread and as predictable. No more.