Potentially eligible players thread

**elatedscum** · 27/08/2020, 11:10 PM

I have a football jersey from O’Higgins FC, named after Chile’s founding father Bernardo O’Higgins who was the son of Ambrosio O’Higgins from Sligo. There’s also a lot of things (streets, churches, squares etc.) named after members of the MacKenna family who are well renowned there. The writer Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna and his grandfather the hero of the Chilean war of independence Juan MacKenna among them...

In terms of Argentina, Che was a Lynch...

**Charlie Darwin** · 28/08/2020, 2:53 AM

Originally Posted by Diggs246

England will be humiliated by Germany or Belgium one day and that will be him gone.

I dont agree with this business of ireland capping a guy in the last minute or taking a guy who has a friendly cap for someone else

What southgate is doing is very cynical. He is knowingly ruining the international careers of certain players. He knows dawn well he will never play nathan Redmond. Kalvin phillips will play once for him and then will not be brought to the euros. Next manager comes in and says no thanks kalvin I'm going for the guy from man u or liverpool

This is exactly what Northern Ireland say we do. If a player wants to play for England, it's up to him to try it out and good luck to him. Some players will make different decisions. It's not on the manager.

**Charlie Darwin** · 28/08/2020, 2:56 AM

Originally Posted by irishfan86

Makes me think of Alexis Mac Allister at Brighton. Argentina international but of Irish/Scottish descent.

I used to know an Argentinian fella in Dublin whose second name was MacAllister. The Irish/Scottish names are more prominent in rugby for class reasons but there's plenty of them out there. Augustin Creevy used to be the Argentina rugby captain.

**Diggs246** · 28/08/2020, 9:00 AM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

This is exactly what Northern Ireland say we do. If a player wants to play for England, it's up to him to try it out and good luck to him. Some players will make different decisions. It's not on the manager.

I would hate to think we would actively target a northern Irish player just to stop him playing for them, while having no serious intention of playing him ourselves. I would really hate that.

**Fixer82** · 28/08/2020, 9:03 AM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

I used to know an Argentinian fella in Dublin whose second name was MacAllister. The Irish/Scottish names are more prominent in rugby for class reasons but there's plenty of them out there. Augustin Creevy used to be the Argentina rugby captain.

There was a lad called Filan/Phelan who played rugby for Argentina a few years ago.
Sure Che Guevara was one of the Lynch crowd from Gaillimh.

There was a famous O'Higgins in either Argentina or Uruguayan army a century or twoago also

**Diggs246** · 28/08/2020, 9:21 AM

O Higgins statue is in merrion square

**seanfhear** · 28/08/2020, 9:31 AM

Originally Posted by Diggs246

O Higgins statue is in merrion square

Anybody pulling at it Yet ? ?

**Olé Olé** · 28/08/2020, 10:45 AM

Mauricio Pochettino's hometown is called Murphy.

**DeLorean** · 28/08/2020, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

Jose Luis Brown was supposed to have had an Irish granny, but the connection was probably farther back.

I was checking him up after TG4's recent World Cup Gold series, and couldn't find anything definitive linking him to us. His Scottish heritage appears much more concrete - https://www.scotsman.com/sport/argen...ounder-2474037

He died a year ago this month actually.

**SkStu** · 28/08/2020, 1:34 PM

Originally Posted by Fixer82

There was a lad called Filan/Phelan who played rugby for Argentina a few years ago.
Sure Che Guevara was one of the Lynch crowd from Gaillimh.

There was a famous O'Higgins in either Argentina or Uruguayan army a century or twoago also

Yeah, his great-great-grandfather was from Galway (I think there is some connection to Co. Clare too though??). Either way, he was never potentially eligible under the FIFA rules and he's dead so this is all a bit off-topic.

**Bungle** · 28/08/2020, 2:21 PM

Di Stefano had an Irish granny. Genuinely.

**youngirish** · 28/08/2020, 3:36 PM

Originally Posted by Fixer82

There was a lad called Filan/Phelan who played rugby for Argentina a few years ago.
Sure Che Guevara was one of the Lynch crowd from Gaillimh.

There was a famous O'Higgins in either Argentina or Uruguayan army a century or twoago also

Bernardo O'Higgins was from Chile. He was instrumental in achieving their independence from Spain. He was not Irish himself but the illegitimate son of a Sligo man in the service of Spain.

**elatedscum** · 28/08/2020, 3:48 PM

Originally Posted by Bungle

Di Stefano had an Irish granny. Genuinely.

Chap played for 3 countries and didn’t play for us. Typical FAI

😉

**ForzaForth** · 28/08/2020, 3:54 PM

All the Connacht references remind me that Rose Lavelle, rated no. three in the world but possibly the best female player in the world at the moment, has two great-grandparents from Achill Island and still has relatives there. She has just signed for Man. City.

**seanfhear** · 28/08/2020, 6:41 PM

Originally Posted by ForzaForth

All the Connacht references remind me that Rose Lavelle, rated no. three in the world but possibly the best female player in the world at the moment, has two great-grandparents from Achill Island and still has relatives there. She has just signed for Man. City.

There are a good few Lavelles in North Mayo = The French dropped in there some time in History !

In fairness from what I saw of the World Cup. She looked the best player there !

**nigel-harps1954** · 28/08/2020, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by youngirish

Bernardo O'Higgins was from Chile. He was instrumental in achieving their independence from Spain. He was not Irish himself but the illegitimate son of a Sligo man in the service of Spain.

There's a long history of Irish men fighting in various wars of independence amongst different Latin American countries.

William Brown founded the Argentine Navy, he was actually Irish born. A hero in Argentina. Wolfe Tones have a song about him.

The aformentioned Bernardo O'Higgins was actually leader of Chilean war of Independence. His father was Ambrose O'Higgins who was born in Sligo and became leader of Chile under the Spanish.

And sure the fictional character Zorro was supposedly based on an Irish man.