As you might imagine, the proximity of the island of Ireland to the UK mainland is such that more than a few talented football players have made the journey over to play their games in the English, Welsh and Scottish leagues.
The best of the best have eventually ended up in the Premier League, on account of the fact that it is one of the best divisions in world football. This is a look at the all-time best eleven of people from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to have played in the English top-flight in the years since 1992:
Shay Given – Goalkeeper
Is Shay Given on the list because he deserves to be or because he’s one of the only goalkeepers produced by the Emerald Isle to make a name for themselves in England? It is likely to be a little bit from column A and a little from column B; after all, Caoimhin Kelleher might have something to say about that, but the fact that he was never Liverpool’s number one shot-stopper means it’s difficult to justify his inclusion. The same can’t be said of Given, however, who got his debut in the Irish national team when he was just 19-years-old.
@nufcn0stalgia Jack Charlton talking about Shay Given. #jackcharlton #shaygiven #nufc #irelandfootball #nufcfans #nufcforlife #newcastleunited #newcastle #newcastletiktok #footballtiktok #footballedit #premierleague #premierleaguefootball #football #goalkeeper ♬ original sound – NUFC Nostalgia
Although he didn’t play many games for Blackburn Rovers, he was there when they won their Premier League title and played for Swindon Town before arriving at Sunderland and then making his name as Newcastle United’s first-choice ‘keeper. He won the UEFA Intertoto Cup with them in 2006, then moved to Manchester City and made up for his 1998 FA Cup defeat when he won the trophy with the Cityzens in 2011. Having also played for Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Stoke City, he certainly earned his place on our list.
Steve Finnan – Right-Back
If you win a European Cup then you deserve to be included on any list of the best players from Ireland, which is precisely why Steve Finnan makes it in as right-back. Originally from Limerick, he left Ireland for the Wimbledon youth setup when he was 14, joining Welling United in 1993. Two years later and Birmingham City had snapped him up, from where he enjoyed a brief loan spell with Notts County before joining them permanently. That was enough to persuade Fulham to sign him up in 1998.
So many players went under the radar at Liverpool and not getting the credit they deserved. One that sticks out to me is Steve Finnan
Solid performer, never really let you down
— We Are Liverpool (@weareliverpool.bsky.social) November 22, 2024 at 2:30 PM
It was in 2003 that he joined Liverpool, soon becoming Rafael Benítez’s first choice right-back, even though his first season at the club was beset by injury. He was in the starting XI for the club’s Champions League final win over AC Milan during the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’, although taken off at half-time through injury. He was ever-present the following season when they won the FA Cup and started the 2007 Champions League final, which they lost. A worthy addition to the Irish Premier League 11.
Johnny Evans – Centre-Back
Sir Alex Ferguson was famously a tough taskmaster, so if you were good enough to play for his team then you’re going to be good enough to make it onto this list. Johnny Evans played for Northern Irish side Greenisland FC as a youngster, with Manchester United scouting him from there. He would go on to play more than 100 times for the Northern Irish national side and would become the second-most decorated player from the country ever thanks to his exploits with the Red Devils.
Having played 131 league games, picking up three Premier League titles, Evans also won the Champions League and two League Cups, amongst other trophies, during his time at Old Trafford. He also played for Leicester City, winning another FA Cup with them in 2021, having played for Sunderland and West Brom in the intervening years. As a sign of Evans’ longevity, he ended up back at Manchester United in 2023, even if the club had fallen away from being meaningfully competitive by then, an FA Cup success aside.
John O’Shea – Centre-Back
The ties between Manchester United and Ireland will be clear throughout this article, with Ferguson always happy to turn to fellow Celts when looking for a player to become part of his Old Trafford winning machine. John O’Shea is a great example of what made the Red Devils tick during the 1990s and 2000s, never being one of the most glamorous players but certainly making an argument for being one of the most important. The fact that he could also play as a full-back or in midfield certainly helped.
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He spent 12 years at United, picking up five Premier League titles as well as two FA Cups and the Champions League during this time. He made nearly 400 appearances for the Red Devils, heading off to Bournemouth and Royal Antwerp on loan before eventually joining Sunderland and playing more than 200 times for them. He saw his career out at Reading, but it was his time with United and in the Republic of Ireland team that he will be best remembered for by most.
Denis Irwin – Left-Back
At some point, we’ll move away from Manchester United players on this list, but the truth of the matter is that Sir Alex Ferguson was never ashamed of turning to a player from the Emerald Isle to make up part of his squad. In the case of Denis Irwin, you can’t really argue with someone who has seven Premier League winners’ medals and a Champions League one to his name, which is precisely what the Cork man had to his name when he eventually left Old Trafford for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2002.
The Fullback’s Fullback as Denis Irwin once described himself. 🇮🇪💚#MUFC pic.twitter.com/4MjNK0BSXd
— Anna (@UTD_Anna_) March 23, 2025
Having also played for Leeds United and Oldham Athletic, he cost United just £650,000 when he moved there in 1990. It meant he was part of the team that went on to dominate the Premier League and would be considered by many to be one of the best-ever players in his position for any club that has graced the competition. He also got 56 caps for the Republic of Ireland, so his credentials for being included on this list are not under any sort of debate.
Roy Keane (c) – Midfield
No list of players from Ireland or Northern Ireland would be complete without the name of Roy Keane appearing on it. Better known to many nowadays as a firebrand pundit who does not suffer fools, that isn’t all that much of a far-cry from his days as a player when he was a firebrand midfielder who didn’t suffer fools. He stands alongside Denis Irwin and Ronnie Whelan as the joint-most decorated Irish player of all time, which helps to explain why it is that he is considered by many to be one of the best Irish footballers ever.
@footballinggods A Lot of People With Plain STUPID Comments on Roy Keane Simply Because They Don’t Like Him! 😅🔥❤️🤍🇮🇪✨ Check Out @footballinggods on ALL SOCIAL PLATFORMS Now! ✅ ❤️ #footballinggods #roykeane #keane #manutd #manchesterunited #mufc ♬ original sound – FootballingGods
Born in one of the suburbs of Cork, Keane signed for the semi-professional side Cobh Ramblers before Nottingham Forest snapped him up. He might have joined Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn Rovers if not for a paperwork snafu, meaning that Ferguson could step in and take him to Old Trafford where he would become club captain and win seven Premier League titles as well as the Champions League and four FA Cups. He also picked up 67 caps playing for the Republic of Ireland during his career.
Jason McAteer – Midfield
There will certainly be some who will debate Jason McAteer’s appearance on this list, largely on account of the fact that he was born in Birkenhead on Merseyside. He was able to play for the Republic of Ireland on account of the fact that his grandfather was born in County Down, however, meaning that he picked up more than 50 caps for the national side. If it’s good enough for them, then it’s good enough for us, to say nothing of the fact that there has always been a long link between Liverpool and Ireland.
JASON MCATEER 🇮🇪 – RIGHT MIDFIELDER / CENTRAL MIDFIELDER
#bwfc
— Daily BWFC Player (@dailybwfcplayer.bsky.social) February 5, 2025 at 5:42 PM
It was Bolton Wanderers that McAteer began his career playing for, making 114 appearances for them before the Reds paid £4.5 million to take him to Anfield in 1995. As with Roy Keane, he could’ve signed for Dalglish’s Blackburn Rovers but decided he wanted to join the club he’d supported as a boy, playing more than 100 times for them and becoming infamous as one of the ‘Spice Boys’ that wore a white suit before the 1996 FA Cup final. He did eventually join Blackburn as well as Sunderland.
Keith Gillespie – Midfield
It is fair to say that Keith Gillespie was the definition of a journeyman player, beginning his career at Manchester United before going on to play for 11 other clubs. At the time, the Red Devils were flush with attack-minded midfielders, so Gillespie was sent out on loan to Wigan Athletic before eventually being signed by Newcastle United in 1995. He hoped to achieve what he couldn’t do for United during his time at St James’ Park and picked up more than 100 starts for the team, scoring 13 goals.
Although a talented player and a good finisher, his time with the Magpies was ultimately fruitless and so he ended up moving to Blackburn Rovers. He couldn’t stop them from getting relegated, but did make it back into the team when they returned to the Premier League and also got an assist in the League Cup final in 2002. When Leicester City gained promotion in 2003, Gillespie moved to the Foxes and played another 48 games. He didn’t quite make it to 100 caps with Northern Ireland, but 86 isn’t too shabby.
Damien Duff – Midfield
Although Damien Duff will be best known to most for his role in the Chelsea side that won the title under José Mourinho, his career actually began at Blackburn Rovers. It was during his time there that he first experienced Premier League football, but also the agony of relegation. He helped them get back up into the top-flight before winning the League Cup in 2002 alongside Keith Gillespie, finishing as the club’s top scorer a year later. That was enough to persuade Chelsea to sign him for £17 million in 2003.
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Although Mourinho wasn’t the manager when Duff arrived at Stamford Bridge, bringing in Arjen Robben to play in his position, an injury to the Dutch player meant that Duff got a chance and proved his worth to the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’. Having won two titles and the League Cup, he moved to Newcastle United and actually scored the own goal that ended up seeing the Magpies relegated. He returned to the Premier League when he signed for Fulham and helped them make the Europa League semi-final.
Niall Quinn – Attack
Having played Gaelic football for Perrystown in his youth, Niall Quinn had an unsuccessful trial with Fulham before eventually signing to play for Arsenal in 1983. He remained with the Gunners for seven years before moving to Manchester City when Howard Kendall decided to pay £800,000 for him. He ended up playing nearly 200 league games for the Cityzens and memorably once scored a goal and saved a penalty in the same game when he became the goalkeeper after Tony Cotton was sent off.
OTD in 1991, Niall Quinn putting it in the English Net!#ireland #weareone pic.twitter.com/L40LqQgBQm
— Lansdowne Road ☘️🇮🇪⚽ (@LansdowneRD_IE) March 27, 2025
Quinn is probably remembered by most as having been the striker for Sunderland, joining the Black Cats in 1996 and going on to play more than 200 times for them in all competitions. He scored the first goal at Sunderland’s then-new ground, the Stadium of Light, with the goal ironically coming against his former club Manchester City. On the international front, Quinn worked his way up through the youth teams of the Republic of Ireland before playing for the first time nearly 100 times.
Robbie Keane – Attack
Another player ticking the ‘journeyman’ box is Robbie Keane, who played for nearly a dozen different clubs during his career. It all began at Wolverhampton Wanderers, in England at least, moving there from Crumlin United after he gained experience as a player for his local side Fettercairn. He was raised in Dublin and the move to Wolves resulted in a transfer to Coventry City and then a brief spell in Italy with Inter Milan before he ended up playing for Leeds United.
In the last 20 years only one player has been transferred between Liverpool & Spurs for a fee.
Robbie Keane, Robbie joined Liverpool for £20m lasting just 6 months before being returned to Spurs at a cut price £12m
— Football Statto (@footiestatto.bsky.social) December 22, 2024 at 1:56 PM
It was as a Tottenham Hotspur player that he made his name, though. He signed for the club in 2002 and went on to play more than 200 times for the club across two different spells. In between that, Keane was signed by Liverpool but was never really wanted by Rafa Benítez, heading back to Spurs before joining Celtic on loan. It was during his second spell at White Hart Lane that he picked up the only meaningful piece of silverware during his career: the League Cup.
