12.12.14

Ireland 1914

Ireland, the last of the 4 'Home Nations' to enter the International arena, had been the perennial whipping boys of the British Home Championship in the early days,
 In 1903 they shared first place with Scotland and England (all 3 finished the campaign with 2 wins and a defeat) and in 1913 enjoyed their first victory over England.


They won their first British Home Championship in 1914.



                                                                            v Wales

19.01.14
Wales  1 Ireland 2
Racecourse, Wrexham
GK
Fred McKee
Belfast Celtic


RB
Bill McConnell
Bohemians


LB
Sandy  Craig (c)
Greenock Morton


RH
Val Harris
Everton
Off injured at 45

CH
Pat O'Connell
Hull City


LH
Dave Rollo
Linfield


OR
Ted Seymour
Bohemians


IR
Sam Young
Linfield


CF
Billy Gillespie
Sheffield United
25, 65

IL
Billy Lacey
Liverpool


OL
Louis Bookman
Bradford City


Coach: R Bennett



14.02.14
England 0 Ireland 3
Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough
GK
Fred McKee
Belfast Celtic

RB
Bill McConnell
Bohemians

LB
Sandy  Craig
Greenock Morton

RH
Harry Hampton
Bradford City

CH
Pat O'Connell (c)
Hull City

LH
Mickey Hamill
Manchester United

OR
Dave Rollo
Linfield

IR
Sam Young
Linfield

CF
Billy Gillespie
Sheffield United
36
IL
Billy Lacey
Liverpool
6, 80
OL
Frank Thompson
Clyde

Coach: Rab Torrans


14.03.14
Ireland 1 Scotland 1
Windsor Park, Belfast
GK
Fred McKee
Belfast Celtic

RB
Bill McConnell
Bohemians

LB
Sandy  Craig
Greenock Morton

RH
Val Harris
Everton

CH
Pat O'Connell
Hull City

LH
Mickey Hamill (c)
Manchester United

OR
Johnny Houston
Everton

IR
Rab Nixon
Linfield

CF
Sam Young
Linfield
89
IL
Billy Lacey
Liverpool

OL
Frank Thompson
Clyde

Coach: Hugh McAteer

Ireland wore their St Patrick's Blue strip in all 3 matches:


The line ups , which include players based in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Dublin, show that the Ireland side in this era was representative of the whole of Ireland. Of the 16 players selected, 7 were from what is now Northern Ireland and 9 (including Bookman, who was born in Lithuania but grew up in Dublin) from what is now The Republic of Ireland. 

v Scotland. The name of the cat being held by Mickey Hamill is unknown to me. He did his job though, Sam Young's late equalizer meant that Ireland were champions.