John Giles Named and Republic of Ireland legends Keane and Brady
Despite having struggled to get to major tournaments in recent years, throughout history, Ireland have had some incredible teams and individual players who have and will continue to go down in football history. Iconic players such as Roy Keane, Denis Irwin and Robbie Keane have held Irish football in high regard over the years and are just a small fraction of the nation's iconic history at international footballing level.
Speaking of Irish greats, Johnny Giles, who is one of the best and most highly-rated midfielders to have ever played for the country, has named his all-time 11 of Irish players.
Speaking to Off The Ball, he gave his best team of Irish players throughout different stages of footballing history and some of the iconic names who have already been mentioned have made the cut, but there is also room for some players who may not be as famous or well-known as the likes of Keane and Irwin but have put together fantastic careers at club and international level.
Shay Given
Goalkeeper
Shay Given celebrates a big moment for Ireland-1
Shay Given celebrates a big moment for Ireland-1
Getting the nod in between the sticks in John Giles’ all-time Ireland 11 is the national side’s most capped goalkeeper of all time, Shay Given. The Newcastle United legend represented Ireland on 134 occasions, with seven of those coming in major tournaments, which are caps he will be extremely proud of. Even though Given was known for his superb reflexes and shot-stopping, the main reasoning behind going with him in goal is due to his temperament and the fact that he didn’t make many mistakes. Giles said:
“I can't remember him making any important mistakes. A steady guy with a good temperament."
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Shay Given's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Denis Irwin
Defender
Denis Irwin in action for Ireland
Denis Irwin in action for Ireland
Giles has named a stellar back-line in his all-time Ireland 11 and the first to feature is a man who is thought of as one of the best full-backs ever, Denis Irwin. Despite Irwin’s brilliance, he wasn’t an automatic inclusion in Giles' team as Seamus Coleman was taken into consideration, however, it is hard for many other full-backs in the history of football to be named ahead of Mr Consistent himself, Irwin. The Manchester United icon was known for his defensive solidity but could also produce going forward as he had great ability from set pieces. Giles noted:
"Denis was a terrific player, could play left and right, calm and got on with the job. He didn't seek the publicity in any way.“
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Denis Irwin's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Charlie Hurley
Defender
Ireland legend Charlie Hurley
Ireland legend Charlie Hurley
In the '60s, there were not many centre-backs better than Charlie Hurley and the Sunderland and Ireland legend’s ability has been met with much-deserved heavy praise from Giles. Hurley represented his country 40 times throughout a 12-year international career and showed other nations exactly what he was about on a consistent basis. Despite being a commanding and dominant defender, Hurley was also very comfortable on the ball, so much so that Giles believes he “was before his time," saying:
"He could play out from the back and was before his time. He was a big fella, excellent in the air and had terrific control."
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Charlie Hurley's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Paul McGrath
Defender
Paul McGrath in action for Ireland
Paul McGrath in action for Ireland
Charlie Hurley’s centre-back partner in Giles’ all-time Ireland 11 is Aston Villa and Manchester United legend Paul McGrath. McGrath is widely regarded as one of the most versatile players to ever play in the English leagues, as no matter where you played him, whether it was in midfield, at full-back or at centre-back, he performed to a very high standard. McGrath’s versatility is highlighted by Giles in his reasoning for his inclusion:
"He was majestic. He could play anywhere, but playing at centre-half, he could read the game.“
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Paul McGrath's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Tony Dunne
Defender
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Taking the left-back spot in Giles’ team is yet another Manchester United legend, Tony Dunne, who makes it three United icons in the back four. With a player like Denis Irwin on the opposite flank who was a very calm player, Dunne brings a bit of chaos to the team as he was viewed as a flying full-back who probably would’ve thrived in today’s style of football. Like his full-back counterpart and fellow United legend, Irwin, Dunne was brilliant defensively and offensively, which gave him license to roam up and down the pitch.
When discussing Dunne’s inclusion in his all-time 11, Giles claimed he was the “best left-back in England for 10 years”, which is incredible praise.
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Tony Dunne's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Roy Keane
Midfielder
Roy Keane in action for Ireland
Roy Keane in action for Ireland
Roy Keane is an absolute no-brainer to have in any all-time Ireland 11, and he has made it into Giles’ as well. Despite his somewhat clouded reputation during his playing days, every manager at club and international level would’ve loved to have Keane in their side, as he possessed a desire, fight and grit which not many other players throughout football history had. If you think he worked hard during his playing days for Manchester United, Keane stepped it up a notch when representing his country, which clearly made him extremely proud. Giles noted:
"If I wanted someone beside me in a match, it would be Roy Keane."
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Roy Keane's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Liam Brady
Midfielder
Ireland legend Liam Brady
Ireland legend Liam Brady
Another absolute no-brainer of an inclusion in the midfield is Liam Brady. With Roy Keane’s place in the midfield confirmed, Giles has added the flair and technical brilliance of Brady to complement Keane’s hard work and grit. Brady is looked at as a trailblazer for Irish football as he was one of the nation’s first players to move abroad, succeed, and show what great talent Ireland had to the rest of the world. Whilst discussing Brady’s obvious inclusion, Giles used the word “beautiful” several times to describe his style of play, which perfectly sums him up:
"He was a beautiful player, to see him go past players."
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Liam Brady's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Ronnie Whelan
Midfielder
Ronnie Whelan in action for Ireland
Ronnie Whelan in action for Ireland
Capping off a terrific midfield three is Ronnie Whelan. Despite being accompanied by Keane and Brady, who were both known for their outstanding traits, Whelan is a man who was known for keeping his game simple, which may seem basic, but that is what made him so good. The Liverpool legend was known for his excellent discipline both on and off the pitch. Going off of Giles’ explanation for his inclusion, that discipline and professionalism are big reasons for him making it into Ireland’s all-time 11:
"He would go simple and be a professional. Some lads are professionals from the time they were born, and that was the case with Ronnie.“
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Ronnie Whelan's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Steve Heighway
Forward
Steve Heighway-1
Steve Heighway-1
The first player who slots into the attack in Giles’ all-time Ireland 11 is Steve Heighway. Even though Heighway is viewed as one of Ireland’s most skilful and intelligent players ever, he wasn’t an automatic inclusion into the team as Giles also heaped heavy praise on Damien Duff, which is a testament to his talent also. Heighway is not just an Irish legend, but he is a Liverpool legend also and helped the club to win many trophies in the 7s and 80s, including several league titles and European trophies. Giles pinpointed Heighway’s success at club level as the reason he gets in his all-time 11 over Damien Duff:
“With the things that he won, and the team that he was in, and I think the world of Damien [Duff], I would have to choose Heighway."
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Steve Heighway's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Robbie Keane
Forward
Robbie Keane Ireland
Robbie Keane Ireland
Another no-brainer inclusion in pretty much everyone’s Ireland all-time 11, not just Giles’, is Robbie Keane. Keane had a terrific goalscoring record at club level, but to score 68 goals in 146 international matches for Ireland just highlights how clinical and talented of a finisher he was, as in the days he was playing, Ireland didn’t have a top national side. In his prime, Keane was known for his lightning-fast pace, but as he got older and his pace diminished, he carried on scoring goals due to his movement and intelligence and according to Giles, he was a brilliant goalscorer:
"Robbie was a natural goalscorer. There are players like that, they come alive when there is a goalscoring chance.“
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Robbie Keane's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Frank Stapleton
Forward
Ireland legend Frank Stapleton
Ireland legend Frank Stapleton
The final inclusion in Giles’ all-time Ireland 11 is one of the nation’s most legendary players, Frank Stapleton. Stapleton played a key part in the rise of Irish football as he was consistently a top player, performing for some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Arsenal and Manchester United. Stapleton could do everything and is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most versatile attackers ever, as he excelled at a variety of different things, such as headed goals, long-distance screamers, smart finishes from close range as well as having the ability to dribble past anyone and make them look a fool. Giles said:
“He was an all-round player. He was in the match all the time and a good positional player to link it up."
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Frank Stapleton's Republic of Ireland Statistics
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Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 05-03-25.