Having previously completed his own scouting mission to the Victoria Stadium in Gibraltar, Mick McCarthy had already given us the heads-up on the little ground’s unique location, squeezed in, he said, between the Rock and the airport.

Jon Walters has announced his retirement this afternoon.

If nothing else, victory in Gibraltar would help eradicate the memory of another tumultuous week for Irish football.

Mick McCarthy arches his eyebrows the way he does when a question comes from a bit out of left-field.

The parallels are striking. For Liechtenstein in Vaduz almost 23 years ago read Gibraltar in the Victoria Stadium on Saturday.

Also included is Aston Villa's Glenn Whelan, who was expected to have played his last game for Ireland after captaining the side in a 36-minute ceremonial cameo against Northern Ireland in November.

Following protracted negotiations with the Gibraltar FA, UEFA have finally given the green light for the Victoria Stadium in Gibraltar to be used for Ireland’s opening Euro 2020 qualifier on March 23.

A final decision is expected early next week on the venue for Ireland’s opening Euro 2020 qualifier away to Gibraltar on March 23.

The FAI have arranged two international friendlies for the Republic of Ireland in the Aviva Stadium this year.

The FAI have confirmed they’ve secured 500 tickets for Irish fans planning to attend Mick McCarthy’s first game back at the helm against Gibraltar on March 23.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

Ahead of the resumption of European Championship qualifying with the game against Gibraltar in Faro on Friday, the Irish team will get its first taste of its new training base when they commence preparations at Abbotstown on Monday morning.

On the face of it, it didn’t seem that much of an occasion, just a warm-up for the real action. Sure, it may have been Gibraltar’s ever international first match as a recognised nation, but the November 2013 friendly in the Algarve was against an experimental Slovakia side, and ended 0-0. Bigger days surely lay ahead.

It was a telling reminder of how far they’d come, but also of their apparent place in the game. At the end of Gibraltar’s 7-0 defeat to Poland back in September, the tiny territory’s players obviously went to swap shirts with the opposition.