Declan Rice and Lee Carsley are part of a not-so-exclusive club of English-born Irish internationals that also includes Mark Lawrenson, Mick McCarthy and John Aldridge
England play Ireland on Saturday, a match that will be particularly important for Three Lions interim manager Lee Carsley and one of his players.
Carsley will take charge for the first time since taking over from Gareth Southgate as the Three Lions begin their Nations League campaign in Dublin.
Carsley is a former Ireland international who led England Under-21s to European Championship glory. He made 40 appearances for Ireland during his spell, taking advantage of the ‘Granny Rule’.
The so-called ‘Granny Rule’ which allows footballers to play for the country of their ancestors back to their grandparents. The rule was used by former Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton, who used English players with Irish roots to boost the national team’s fortunes.
Here, Mail Sport takes a look at some of those who represented the Republic of Ireland via our ‘Granny XI’ line.
Declan Rice once played for Ireland but he will play against them on Saturday night
Interim manager Lee Carsley was born in England but played 40 games for Ireland
Goalkeeper: Alan Kelly
Alan Kelly, born in Preston, played 34 games for the Republic of Ireland between 1993 and 2002.
Kelly was part of two World Cup squads, in 1994 and 2002.
He was second goalkeeper behind Packie Bonner in the United States and eight years later fulfilled the same role as understudy to Shay Given in South Korea and Japan.
Both his father, Alan Kelly Sr., who also represented the Republic of Ireland, and his older brother, Gary Kelly, played between the posts.
Right back: Mark Lawrenson
Born and raised in Lancashire, Lawrenson qualified to play for England through his grandfather, Thomas Crotty, who was born in Waterford.
In his seven years at Anfield he won five league titles with Liverpool and a European Cup.
His Irish connections were spotted by Alan Kelly Sr., which led to Lawrenson being selected for the national team at the age of 19.
Lawrenson scored a crucial winning goal for the Republic of Ireland against Scotland in a Euro 1988 qualifier to help the country reach their first major tournament. He would ultimately miss Euro 1988 in West Germany through injury.
Central defender: Mick McCarthy
McCarthy also grew up in England, but ended up playing 57 games for Ireland, scoring twice, using the same loophole.
The centre-back was born in Barnsley but made no secret of his love for Ireland as a player and manager.
McCarthy was a key figure in the squad that qualified for the 1988 European Championship and the 1990 World Cup.
He was in the dugout at the 2002 World Cup and returned for a second spell as manager between 2018 and 2020.
McCarthy admitted he thought football might have forced him into retirement after a 14-month absence
Central defender: Phil Babb
The defender was born in Lambeth to a Guyanese father and an Irish mother.
Babb, who played for Liverpool for six years and made 128 appearances, opted to represent Ireland and ultimately played 35 games.
He played four games at the 1994 World Cup. His last appearance came in 2002, when he unfortunately scored an own goal with his first touch in a European Championship qualifier.
Left back: Chris Hughton
Hughton, now best known for his coaching exploits, was born in Essex but played more than 50 games for Ireland.
He qualified as the son of an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father, becoming the first mixed-race player to represent the country.
Midfield: Lee Carsley
Carsley qualified for the Republic of Ireland national team through his grandmother, who is from Dunmanway, County Cork.
He represented the national team from 1997 to 2008 and was part of the team that qualified for the 2002 World Cup.
The midfielder made one appearance at the tournament, including in Ireland’s 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the group stage.
Midfield: Declan Rice
Prior to 2019, Rice represented Ireland internationally at both youth and senior level.
Despite being born in London, Rice was allowed to represent the Republic of Ireland as his grandparents were born in Cork.
Rice made three first-team friendlies in 2018 but decided to change his national allegiance the following year after failing to play in a competitive international match.
The Arsenal star has since become a key member of the England squad, making 58 international appearances.
Midfield: Andy Townsend
Townsend is now a successful commentator. He was born in Maidstone, but because of his roots he also qualified for Ireland.
He scored seven goals in 70 games, making his debut in February 1989 against France.
Midfield: Kevin Kilbane
Kilbane, like Kelly, was born in Preston and became a cult hero among Irish fans.
He was called up to the England under-18 team but declined as he always wanted to play for Ireland as his parents are both Irish.
He made 111 appearances for Ireland, 66 of them in consecutive matches.
Striker: John Aldridge
He is perhaps synonymous with Liverpool, having been born there and scored 50 goals in just 83 games for his local club.
But Aldridge was proud to wear the Ireland shirt, having qualified through his grandmother.
The striker played for Ireland for 10 years, scoring 19 goals in 69 games.
Striker: Tony Cascarino
Cascarino, who was born in England, represented the Republic of Ireland, qualifying through his Irish adoptive grandfather, Michael O’Malley, who was from Westport, County Mayo.