The day a united Ireland took on soccer’s best

Des MacHale is right (Letters, Nov 18). A single team could represent Ireland North and South in soccer.

It should be possible in this modern era of cross-border co-operation. After all, Ireland fields only one international rugby team. They cope very well with the vexed question of anthems.

There is a famous precedent. At the height of the Troubles in 1973, a team from both jurisdictions played a friendly game against Brazil in Lansdowne Road. For ideological reasons, they lined out as ‘Shamrock Rovers Ireland XI’.