Irish-born players to play for other international teams?

**DannyInvincible** · 25/08/2010, 10:01 PM

I was wondering if there have been any players born in Ireland down through the years who have ended up playing for another international team at any level. I can't think of any.

I'm aware Shane Lowry of Aston Villa played with our under-21s before committing himself to Australia at senior level, but then, he is Australian-born, having been born in Perth to Irish parents. It would be interesting to know his motivations for making the switch. Maybe he played with us at under-age level out of convenience and sees an international future with Australia as giving him a better chance of playing in a World Cup at some point in the future.

Of players born in Ireland who would have been eligible to play for other international teams but opted for us, I'm aware of Éamon Zayed and Stephen Kelly. Zayed played for us at under-21 level but could also have opted to play for Libya. I'm not sure which north African team Kelly was also eligible to play for, but I'm pretty certain I once read on here that his mother was from the region, maybe Morocco or Tunisia. I'm sure there are plenty others in a similar boat. Even Stephen Ireland was supposedly eligible to play for both England and Italy (not sure how exactly). Then, there's Marc Mukendi Tshilumba who was born in Derry. His father was José Mukendi who played with Derry City for a spell and internationally with Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), meaning Marc would presumably be eligible for Ireland (he played with us at under-19 level), Northern Ireland and the DR Congo if good enough.

Anyway, that's getting a bit off my original query, but I'm not sure how much discussion there would be in that anyway as I suspect there to have been very few Irish-born players, if any at all, to have played with another international team, so feel free to digress. I suppose, to cut it down further, I'm only referring to those born within the boundaries of the Irish state and wouldn't count those northern-born Irish nationals who've decided to play for Northern Ireland.

**Razors left peg** · 25/08/2010, 10:03 PM

Eoin Morgan

**fu1ham** · 25/08/2010, 10:13 PM

And Ed Joyce

**sean r** · 25/08/2010, 11:32 PM

there was a northern irish born player who played for the usa his name was brian quinn and he is from belfast playd frm 1991-94

**DannyInvincible** · 26/08/2010, 2:05 AM

Originally Posted by sean r

there was a northern irish born player who played for the usa his name was brian quinn and he is from belfast playd frm 1991-94

According to Wikipedia, he made his debut against us in a 1991 friendly.

**SkStu** · 26/08/2010, 2:19 AM

Kyran Bracken

**ifk101** · 26/08/2010, 7:00 AM

Darren Meenan. Born in Dublin and capped by the North at U21 level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Meenan

**ArdeeBhoy** · 26/08/2010, 7:08 AM

Ssssh.

**culloty82** · 26/08/2010, 7:18 AM

I know this isn't strictly what you were looking for, but if you go back pre-1950, many of the Republic's leading players (Johnny Carey, Con Martin) could also get caps for the North in the British Championship, until the loophole was closed when the UK teams rejoined FIFA.

**ArdeeBhoy** · 26/08/2010, 7:31 AM

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

I'm sure there are plenty others in a similar boat. Even Stephen Ireland was supposedly eligible to play for both England and Italy (not sure how exactly).

Believe despite his name(!) his father was of English stock whilst he had an Italian grand-parent which might explain his attitude towards the Irish national team! Unsure if any of the relatives involved were the ones he cited in 'Jessicagate'.

**dr_peepee** · 26/08/2010, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by ifk101

Darren Meenan. Born in Dublin and capped by the North at U21 level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Meenan

de tk r plrs

**sorbothegreek** · 26/08/2010, 10:42 AM

I'm pretty sure i remember reading here about an Irish goalkeeper who ended up acquiring nationality through residency in some far off Islands and played some International matches for them..? Only a few years back as well..

**dr_peepee** · 26/08/2010, 12:34 PM

Jayzus yeah. I remember that. Think he was a Leinster Senior league keeper or something.

**pineapple stu** · 26/08/2010, 12:36 PM

There was a thread on this before I'm fairly sure. Was sorbo's player not some rugby player playing international rugby for Kazakhstan?

**Dodge** · 26/08/2010, 12:41 PM

http://foot.ie/threads/87695-Irish-p...ther-countries

**sean r** · 26/08/2010, 3:14 PM

ronnie o brian a mls player is able to play for the usa as his wife is a yank and he also he lived in the usa for the time he can get a us passport. there is also a player named parkhurst who can play for eire but is american born. and i can recall a few years back cork ****ty player john caulfield was in discussions with the usa soccer federation as he was born in new york. nothing came of it. then in rugger we have o gara a yank who playes for eire. i think that keeper who was mentioned in the previous thread played for cayman islands i saw something on futbol mundial about it

**DannyInvincible** · 26/08/2010, 3:24 PM

Ah yes, Ronnie O'Brien... I don't know why the FAI haven't been on their knees begging him to come back and play for us. You don't let a Man of the Century sit by the wayside, for God's sake!

Originally Posted by culloty82

I know this isn't strictly what you were looking for, but if you go back pre-1950, many of the Republic's leading players (Johnny Carey, Con Martin) could also get caps for the North in the British Championship, until the loophole was closed when the UK teams rejoined FIFA.

I'd been aware of this alright. This was the origin of the oft-mentioned "gentlemen's agreement" between the FAI and the IFA. FIFA dictated that the IFA were not allowed to call up players born south of the border and the FAI voluntarily agreed not to call up Irish nationals born north of the border, although it appears that practice still would have been fine at the time under FIFA rules, given the fact these players were eligible for Irish citizenship. As for any conditions binding upon the IFA, I'm not sure there were any.

In later years and around the time of the Good Friday Agreement, as more and more northern-born Irish nationals began to volunteer to play for us - there have been a multitude of lesser-known northern-born players playing in our various teams long before and beyond Gibson, Duffy and Wilson - the FAI were obviously reluctant to turn them down and, it appears, amended the situation with the IFA around 1999 in agreeing not to contact northern-born players first about playing for Ireland. The onus was therefore on the individual player to volunteer himself to the FAI. The IFA fully agreed to this back then and acknowledged the FAI's right to choose northern-born Irish nationals, but inexplicably went back on the agreement with their recent reckless adventure to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

**sean r** · 26/08/2010, 3:45 PM

would george best of been able to play for eire? if he was not capped for N.I?

**DannyInvincible** · 26/08/2010, 3:52 PM

Originally Posted by sean r

would george best of been able to play for eire? if he was not capped for N.I?

As I understand it, and as far as FIFA's rules were concerned, he technically would have been had he ever claimed Irish citizenship. However, as the FAI had already agreed not to call up northern-born players around 1950, it's unlikely it would ever have happened. At the time, I believe, it was more "fashionable" or "prestigious" to play for the north anyway as they were perceived to be the superior of the two teams on this island up until the late 1980s, when we first qualified for Euro '88 and then the 1990 World Cup.