Glenn Whelan will be given the honour of leading Ireland out against Northern Ireland in the friendly at the Aviva in November.

The latest chapter in Daryl Horgan’s career as a professional footballer began with a run off the bench for Neil Lennon’s Hibernian in their 1-1 draw away to St Johnstone in Perth last weekend.

As the domestic game’s big two go head to head again tonight, former Cork City player Neal Horgan argues for greater recognition of the League of Ireland at international level.

Shane Duffy was named the FAI Senior Player of the Year for 2017 last night but the big Brighton defender was unable to collect his award in person as the weather took its toll on the annual televised ceremony in RTÉ, with the programme having to be shortened from a scheduled running time of 90 minutes to one hour.

In calling up Declan Rice to his squad for this month’s training camp and friendly in Turkey, Martin O’Neill has stressed that the highly-rated young West Ham defender, who is still eligible to play senior football for both Ireland and England, will not come under any pressure to decide his international future.

Martin O'Neill has expressed his surprise at Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill's claim that the Republic of Ireland are targeting Catholic players from across the border.

Alan Browne ended four months of frustration in front of goal by scoring a superb volley as Preston marched into the fourth round of the FA Cup by hammering Wycombe Wanderers 5-1 on Saturday.

The Irish football year was book-ended and overshadowed by the tragic deaths of Derry City skipper Ryan McBride and the young Shelbourne striker Izzy Desu, writes Liam Mackey.

Stephen Kenny hasn’t had too many disappointments in his time as Dundalk manager but perhaps top of the list is last year’s FAI Cup final defeat to Cork City.

James McCarthy has been named in a 34-man Republic of Ireland squad for next month's World Cup play-offs against Denmark.

The Republic of Ireland registered an excepted victory over Moldova but much more importantly, delivered a morale-boosting performance ahead of Monday’s visit to Wales.

With the changing of the Preston managerial guard which has seen Alex Neil replace Simon Grayson, game time at Deepdale has proved harder to come by for Daryl Horgan this season.

Two goals and regular starts for Preston in the Championship and a League of Ireland winner’s medal virtually in the post — all Sean Maguire needs now to complete a heady 2017 is to get the nod from Martin O’Neill to play his part in an Irish redemption song as the World Cup qualifying campaign reaches its conclusion.

O'Neill selects a 25-man panel for two qualifiers against Georgia and Serbia.

Official confirmation that Kevin O’Connor has become Simon Grayson’s last signing as Preston North End manager now gives way to speculation about who the Cork City player – as well as his teammate Sean Maguire and fellow League of Ireland exports Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle – will be playing under at Deepdale next season.

It’s fair to say Alan Browne and Aiden McGeady are at different ends of the international football spectrum.

David McGoldrick has been ruled out of Sunday's World Cup Qualifier against Austria due to injury.

Sean Maguire has spoken of his joy at securing a move to Preston, saying the large Irish contingent already at Deepdale meant choosing to join the Championship outfit was a “no-brainer”.

Cork City will lose their leading scorer Sean Maguire at the end of July after it was confirmed this morning that the striker has agreed a deal to join Preston North End.

While almost all of the pre-match focus zeroed in on the three men Martin O’Neill would be deploying in his retooled and reshaped rearguard, there wasn’t nearly as much thought given to who would line up in front of them.

The clocks inside the MetLife Stadium hadn’t yet ticked over to the 20-minute mark but a three-letter word that has been the soundtrack to so many good days in Irish football was now marking a pretty bad one.

Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill has added nine players to the squad ahead of the friendly against Uruguay at the Aviva on Sunday.

Former Cork City player Alan Browne has been added to the latest Republic of Ireland squad.

Cork City manager John Caulfield has dismissed suggestions striker Seanie Maguire has had his head turned by transfer speculation as the club look to end the Premier Division’s first series of games tonight with a 100% record.

It was a mixed weekend for the Irish contingent at Championship outfit Preston as Aiden McGeady’s sixth goal of the season rescued a 1-1 draw at home to Nottingham Forest on an afternoon when Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle were hauled off at half-time.

At a stretch, you could call these the best of times and the worst of times for the boys in green.

Martin O’Neill has defended Ireland’s handling of the injury-prone James McCarthy but, overnight, Ronald Koeman has strongly criticised both the player and the Ireland manager for the ultimately unfruitful decision to select him for last week’s World Cup qualifier against Wales.

Seamus Coleman is expected to take the first steps on the road to his recovery from a sickening double leg fracture when he leaves hospital today.

John Egan emerged from his first senior cap battered and bruised yet determined to play a part in the rest of Ireland’s World Cup qualification campaign.

The fabled Icelandic thunderclap might have reverberated around Lansdowne Road now and again but, in truth, this was a game which represented the calm after the storm, on the temperature scale a production rather closer to ice than the fire of Friday’s torrid affair.

“There were a number of players making debuts and that’s great for them to go out there and wear an Irish shirt,” said O’Neill. 

Although a number of the more senior candidates – among them John O’Shea, Glenn Whelan and Jon Walters — have left the squad to return to their clubs, it still tells you something about how important a player Robbie Brady has become for Ireland, that Martin O’Neill has nominated him as captain for the friendly game against Iceland at the Aviva tonight.

Cork City v Dundalk: Before a ball was kicked, Cork City had one over their great rivals Dundalk this season.

Robbie Brady was the man of the moment at the FAI 2016 Awards last night, taking an unprecedented hat-trick of gongs for Senior Player, Young Player, and for his Euros winner against Italy, Goal Of The Year.

The conventional picture of Irish wingers at the start of this season would have had Daryl Horgan on his way up passing Aiden McGeady on his way down.

As is the case in life, timing is everything in sport. And with Martin O’Neill set to name his squad today for the crucial World Cup qualifier with Wales on Friday week, Daryl Horgan could scarcely have picked a better time to produce a virtuoso display.

What’s it like to play under Roy Keane? Or, more to the point, what’s it like to be on the end of a rebuke from Keano as his eyes narrow and the pitch of his voice rises?

As the League of Ireland season kicks off tonight, all eyes will be on Dundalk’s four-in-a-row title quest even if the manager with history in his grasp won’t countenance personal accolades.

Kevin O’Connor believes Cork City’s home form will be the X factor which can bring the league title to Leeside.

Goals from Seanie Maguire, Kevin O’Connor, and Karl Sheppard fired Cork City to a deserved President’s Cup victory in front of 3,100 fans at Turner’s Cross last night.

Liam Mackey looks ahead to the President’s Cup final and the ’New Firm’ rivalry between Dundalk and Cork City.

League of Ireland fans might justifiably be relishing the sight of Daryl Horgan hitting the ground running at Preston but Martin O’Neill is probably even more gratified by the resurgent impact one of the older wingers in town is having at Deepdale.