Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson has added three more domestic-based players to his panel for the Canada friendly, a notable development in ireland sports news as the national team continues to widen its talent search beyond England. Shamrock Rovers midfielder Matt Healy, St Patrick’s Athletic midfielder Kian Leavy, and teenage prospect Josh O’Reilly have linked up with the squad ahead of next weekend’s game in Montréal.
The headline detail is clear: League of Ireland form is being rewarded. Healy and Leavy join the travelling group as full additions, while 16-year-old O’Reilly will go as a training player only and is not expected to feature in the match.
Ireland turn to League of Ireland depth for Canada friendly
The latest call-ups bring the number of League of Ireland representatives in the wider group to seven. Ed McGinty and Adam Brennan of Shamrock Rovers, Conor Brann of Cork City, and Dawson Devoy of Bohemians were already involved.
That shift says plenty about where this Ireland squad is heading. Hallgrímsson appears keen to use this camp to assess players from the League of Ireland and from clubs outside the traditional English pathway. It is a significant talking point in ireland soccer news, especially with Euro 2028 planning already in the background.
- Matt Healy joins from Shamrock Rovers
- Kian Leavy comes in from St Patrick’s Athletic
- Josh O’Reilly travels as a training player
- Seven League of Ireland players are now involved overall
The squad has also changed since the 1-0 win over Qatar in Dublin. Caoimhín Kelleher, Dara O’Shea, Jack Moylan, and Jayson Molumby have returned to their clubs, opening space for new faces and fresh assessment.
Ireland’s 22-man playing squad now includes only nine players based in England, with others drawn from Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands. For supporters following ireland football and the League of Ireland closely, that is an important trend rather than a one-off selection call.
The Canada friendly takes place on June 6 with a 00:30 Irish time kick-off. In ireland sports news terms, the next thing to watch is simple: which of these League of Ireland players can turn a call-up into a serious claim for a bigger role in the months ahead.
