Harry Kane's Irish links and how he could have declared for Ireland
England captain Harry Kane could have represented Ireland if his career took a different path.
Harry Kane will lead England out to play Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in their first game of the UEFA Nations League this weekend.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2015, Kane has gone on to become a legend at Tottenham Hotspur and at International level, he is England's all-time leading goalscorer and has been captain of the team for a number of years.
Kane has started his second season at Bayern Munich in impressive style and with two goals in three games this term, he heads to Dublin in fine form.
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However, had things gone differently, Kane would be a much more frequent attendee at the Aviva Stadium as the Englishman was eligible to play for Ireland through his family roots.
In fact, his connection to Ireland and in particular Galway, is stronger than most. A lot of Harry's family are Irish speakers from the small village of Letterfrack in the Connemara Gaeltacht.
His father was born in Galway before emigrating with his Dad Michael John to London, where Harry and his other siblings were born and brought up in a very Irish household.
Harry hasn't forgotten his Letterfrack roots and regularly donates jerseys, boots and other memorabilia to the local football club.
When asked whether Ireland was ever a realistic prospect for his international career, Kane previously told Galway Beo: "My nana and grandad were Irish on my dad’s side, so I had that decision. It never really came about as when I started playing in the Premier League, the England call-up didn’t come too long after. But for me I always wanted to play for England. That was my dream."
A few years ago though, he was spotted doing the unthinkable to his Galway roots by holding a Mayo GAA jersey, but we're sure the people of Galway have forgiven him at this stage!
By setting his stall out early for England, Kane avoided breaking the hearts of Irish fans in the same ilk as Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, who both return to Dublin as English players having represented Ireland at underage level, and, in Rice's case, three times at senior level.
Ireland's struggle in recent years have left fans wondering what the team would have looked like with the likes of Grealish and Rice wearing green shirts instead of white. Assistant manager John O'Shea however, has no time for such thoughts.
Asked if he ever wondered what an Ireland team would be like with Rice still in it, O’Shea said: “No, not at all.
“It's a focus on us and the players that are here and the players who want to be here. It's as simple as that.
“He's not here, he's in the England squad, so we can't keep talking about it.”
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