When did we start taking Northern players?

Father Damo

Asked this question in a half related thread but did not see an answer.

I only remember the issue of calling up Northern lads becoming contentious with the IFA around the Stan era. Just wondering, but has it only been in recent years that we have started doing this? I am fairly sure that the Dublin government has been issuing passports to Nordies who want them for years, yet I cant recall any N.I player in our squads in my time watching them until Gibson and the current crop started coming through about 4 or 5 years ago (at my age I would have been watching the big games as a kid, but only intensely watching/ knowing the lineups/ player histories of Ireland for 12- 15 odd years by now). Obviously there would have been N.I players like Lennon and Martin O Neill who would likely have wanted to play for us (I have no idea what type of player O Neill was but Lennon would have been good enough for a call up). It just strikes me as odd that Charlton was scanning team line ups for any hint of an Irish connection via their name when we could have had a few Northern lads surely. Or did we have a gentlemans agreement with the IFA over this in the same manner that the British home nations do not chase eligible English born players if England has a real intent of calling them up? The Good Friday agreement is usually invoked as reason for bringing in Northern players, but I dont recall any call ups between 1998 and roughly 2007, surely in 9 years one or two Nordie lads would have been eligible?

Mr.Crinklewood

Alan Kernaghan is the first that I recall. (1993 )

Leiva

The Good Friday Agreement opened up some option AFAIK

Fr Tod Umptious

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

Alan Kernaghan is the first that I recall. (1993 )

He was actually English but had an NI granny, same as McAteer.
If you had at least a grandparent born in the north prior to 1922 then you could also apply for ROI

Mr.Crinklewood

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

He was actually English but had an NI granny, same as McAteer

Aye, know that. I thought the OP was asking about players from ( who lived ) up North or who had played for them as any level.

Father Damo

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

Alan Kernaghan is the first that I recall. (1993 )

Aye that was said in the other thread, but as said he got it more from having desc3ndants from the island of Ireland. What I am wondering is to whether we ever had a Northern born and bred player in the squad pre 2007, nd if not, why not, seeing as our government has to my knowledge been issuing Irish passports to nationalists for years.

Bob the Seducer

I wouldn't say it was a gentleman's agreement, more an uneasy truce (likely under the influence of the suits in UEFA). In the early days of the dual associations, both the IFA and FAI/FAIFS claimed the whole island and capped whoever they wanted with impunity with many players turning out for both associations.
A number of Northern born players turned out for the FAI/FAIFS side during this period with players from this side of the border heading in the opposite direction (around 40 played for both teams).
During this time (1928-1946) the IFA wasn't affiliated with FIFA. The FAI stopped capping players from the North in 1946, the IFA stopped capping players from across the border in 1954.

There are a number of reasons for the recent upswing in Northern born players representing the Republic, not least the Good Friday Agreement which basically gave the FAI an iron clad right to call up Northern born players.

There's also the relative reputations of the two associations, while Northern Ireland was the higher rated team in the 70s and 80s (qualifying for World Cups etc...) the Republic have had the upper hand in terms of success in recent decades.
You can probably factor in the decrease in the number of top level English born players representing the Republic of Ireland since the early 2000s too. (It's likely that in the 80s/90s players like O'Hara, Nolan and Cahill would have declared for the Republic)
As for the post 1998 thing, the team was relatively settled during this period under Mick and Brian Kerr (with Belfast born parents) was unlikely to be the one to set the IFA off by calling up Northern born players.

bobbysands81

The weird thing about players born in the north is that they automatically qualify to play for 5 separate international teams all full FIFA members.

Surely there's no other jurisdiction where there's such 'choice'?

Beasty

bobbysands81 wrote: »

The weird thing about players born in the north is that they automatically qualify to play for 5 separate international teams all full FIFA members.

Surely there's no other jurisdiction where there's such 'choice'?

Are you sure? You still need to qualify for the team you are chosen for, possibly under the grandparent rule.

I think the anomaly arises when someone takes out UK citizenship - as they have no "natural" affiliation to any of the 4 "federations" that make up the UK they can then choose any one of the 4 (but not Ireland)

Stoner

In the lead up to the good Friday agreement and self determination, the republics claim on all 32 counties was addressed, but it also allowed anyone from northern Ireland a route to a ROI passport, if they wanted, I guess the individuals chose , the best option really IMHO. It stops all this so called gentleman's agreement BS that ruled out someone playing for the country they identified with giving the player the option not the associations.
Now that this has happened we have seen some changes up north, more effort will have to be made to welcome all players , this in fairness has been recognised with he new manager, doubt it would have happened if the gentleman's agreement was still in place, much better imo that it is an agreement that was democratically voted in that allows the individual the choice that is being used as the basis of the decision. there was much opposition, Nigel kicked up. I for one am happy that it did not amount to much in the end. The player should have the choice, now that they do people will have to make players welcome.

MRPRO03

Ireland do not take players from the North, the players decide to join Ireland

bobbysands81

Beasty wrote: »

Are you sure? You still need to qualify for the team you are chosen for, possibly under the grandparent rule.

I think the anomaly arises when someone takes out UK citizenship - as they have no "natural" affiliation to any of the 4 "federations" that make up the UK they can then choose any one of the 4 (but not Ireland)

Anyone born in any of the 4 'home' 'countries' can represent any of them... but an agreement exists between them that they won't cap anyone not born in their jurisdiction (bar the odd exception).