Oldest Capped Player

[Shedender81]

Gents - Who is the oldest player to be capped by Ireland ?

[JR_Ewing]

I assume it's Billy Lacey. Or Billy "The Animal" Lacey, as my mate gav calls him, since he looks like one of the loughest lads ever to play ball.....

[livehead1]

Yeh, although afaik that was for an 'fai' 11, i.e. before independance.

[Baker]

I'd imagine Kevin Moran would have to be up there.
He was 37 years 356 days when he started v Holland in Tilburg before USA 94.

[Shedender81]

Tks Baker.... 37 years old... and Stephen Ireland is packing it in 21

[dr_peepee]

Or Billy "The Animal" Lacey, as my mate gav calls him, since he looks like one of the loughest lads ever to play ball.....


Or the drummer from the muppets

[geysir]

Aldo was 38 when he came on against Macedonia in 1996
Cascarino and McGrath were 37 + a couple of months in their last games.

[Saint07]

Johnny Giles was 38years and 197 days when he played against West Germany in 1979. I reckon a goalkeeper would probably be the oldest tho. they generally are.

[Baker]

Dean Kiely is 38 in October. If he comes out of retirement could have another few years left in him for Ireland, especially with Givens ongoing injury problems.

[as_i_say]

aldo played against macedonia?! i never remembered him playing under mccarthy. presume it was the 3-0 home win

[Wolfie]

aldo played against macedonia?! i never remembered him playing under mccarthy. presume it was the 3-0 home win

I think that's right.

He then announced his retirement when McCarthy didn't even introduce him from the bench against Iceland in the infamous Nil all draw. Roy Keane, Centre Half extraordinaire for the day, was booed by a section of the crowd.

[pineapple stu]

aldo played against macedonia?! i never remembered him playing under mccarthy. presume it was the 3-0 home win
Yeah, came on for the last five minutes. I remember people leaving, and then turning around as he got the ball and a big roar went up. Caused havoc in the exits. If it were now, the FAI would have denied themselves a licence themselves over it.

[theworm2345]

Niall Quinn was pretty old when he got his last cap as well
Kenny Cunningham too

[Superhoops]

Johnny Giles was 38years and 197 days when he played against West Germany in 1979. I reckon a goalkeeper would probably be the oldest tho. they generally are.

Giles was born on 6 January 1940 and played his 59th and last game against West Germany on 22nd May 1979. That made him 39 years and 136 days (I think!).

[Saint07]

Giles was born on 6 January 1940 and played his 59th and last game against West Germany on 22nd May 1979. That made him 39 years and 136 days (I think!).

Book i saw it in said he was born 6th of November 1940. It could be wrong tho!

[stojkovic]

Roy Keane, Centre Half extraordinaire for the day,

Dunphy's quote that day - You don't have a Rolls Royce and leave it in the garage.

[kevincronin2000]

Bernie Slaven is the oldest Irish Intenational to win his first cap

[danonion]

Dean Kiely was 39 years old when he came on a subsitute in the 2010 world cup playoff against France. Oh wait.

Whats the story behind Bernie Slaven anyway?

[Superhoops]

Bernie Slaven is the oldest Irish Intenational to win his first cap

There were several players, mainly goalkeepers, who were over 30 when they won their first caps in the 40's and 50's.

Bernie Slaven was 29 and 4 months when he was first capped against Wales in March 1990.

Mick Fairclough, who was playing for Dundalk, was 29 and 7 months when he won the first of his 2 caps against Chile in May 1982.

[fergalr]

I assume it's Billy Lacey. Or Billy "The Animal" Lacey, as my mate gav calls him, since he looks like one of the loughest lads ever to play ball.....
Correct!


Yeh, although afaik that was for an 'fai' 11, i.e. before independance.
Not correct.

Billy Lacey is both the oldest (41 years, 7 months, 3 days) and the oldest to win his first cap (37 years, 7 months, 3 days).

In total he won three caps for us:
1927, 1-2 vs Italy B in Lansdowne (our second ever international and first at home under the FAI)
1928 4-2 vs Belgium in Liege (where he scored the second)
1930 3-1 vs Belgium in Brussels

Source: On the Ball by Donal Cullen (sadly banned from this forum I believe)

[Superhoops]

Correct!


Not correct.

Billy Lacey is both the oldest (41 years, 7 months, 3 days) and the oldest to win his first cap (37 years, 7 months, 3 days).

In total he won three caps for us:
1927, 1-2 vs Italy B in Lansdowne (our second ever international and first at home under the FAI)
1928 4-2 vs Belgium in Liege (where he scored the second)
1930 3-1 vs Belgium in Brussels

Source: On the Ball by Donal Cullen (sadly banned from this forum I believe)
Of course at the time Billy Lacey was playing, and up to 1950/51 season, players could be picked to play for both Ireland, as we were then, and Northern Ireland. Billy Lacey was first capped by Northern Ireland in 1909 when he was 20.

Donal Cullen in his book refers to the team as the Republic of Ireland from that first game in 1926. In fact, the first game we played as the Republic of Ireland was not until May 1954 against Norway in Dalymount Park.

[fergalr]

Donal Cullen in his book refers to the team as the Republic of Ireland from that first game in 1926.
Good spot. Don't know what was on the program (was there one, Gary?) but at that time the country the team represented was called the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann).



In fact, the first game we played as the Republic of Ireland was not until May 1954 against Norway in Dalymount Park.
Not sure about his for a couple of reasons.

First of all it was on 18th April 1949 that the Republic of Ireland Act came in to force and this was what provided that the Republic of Ireland should the the official description of the state. Our first game after that date was a week later against Belgium (again!) on the 24th of April - is it not therefore likely that this was the first game for the Republic of Ireland?

Secondly we didn't play Norway in May 1954 according to RSSF: http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/ier-intres.html. You must have been thinking of the game in Nov 1954 or else the game in Oslo in May 1955.

[Superhoops]

Good spot. Don't know what was on the program (was there one, Gary?) but at that time the country the team represented was called the Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann).


Not sure about his for a couple of reasons.

First of all it was on 18th April 1949 that the Republic of Ireland Act came in to force and this was what provided that the Republic of Ireland should the the official description of the state. Our first game after that date was a week later against Belgium (again!) on the 24th of April - is it not therefore likely that this was the first game for the Republic of Ireland?

Secondly we didn't play Norway in May 1954 according to RSSF: http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/ier-intres.html. You must have been thinking of the game in Nov 1954 or else the game in Oslo in May 1955.

You are right about the 1954 game,my mistake, it was the 7th November 1954 in Dalymount (won 2-1).

Using the name 'Republic of Ireland' was not directly to do with the 1949 establishment of the state. it was to do with a FIFA ruling. (From the FAI website: The 1950s Ireland again missed out on World Cup participation in 1950 after losing to Sweden in the qualifiers, but were later asked to compete by FIFA. However, the FAI was forced to decline the invitation because of a lack of time to prepare. 1950 was also the year that the problem of players playing for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland was finally solved, with FIFA directing both Associations to only pick players from within their own boundaries. FIFA were also to clear up another matter in 1953, when they ruled that the FAI's team would be known as the Republic of Ireland with the IFA's side being called Northern Ireland).

At the time this was decided 'Ireland' were already in a the 1954 World Cup qualifying group with France and Luxembourg and it was agreed that the next game after the qualifying group was completed would be the first game where we would play as the Republic of Ireland. This was the November game against Norway in Dalymount at which the president Sean T O'Kelly attended to mark the occasion.

[fergalr]

Cheers Super - thanks for all those extra details.