Mayo link to Republic of Ireland Under 21 squad
John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa, son of a Ballyhaunis man, has been named in the Republic of Ireland Under 21 squad for a triple-header of friendlies in the coming weeks.
Manager Jim Crawford today named a 26-man squad for the games against Switzerland, Australia and Denmark in Marbella, Spain.
It's the first time for John Joe to be included in an Ireland international squad. His late father, John Finn, hailed from Ballyhaunis, while his grandfather Michael still lives in Devlis. A regular visitor to Ballyhaunis with his Cameroonian mother and his late father over the years, he made his La Liga debut for Getafe last December.
John Joe is one of seven new faces in the Under 21 squad, with Sevilla’s Ryan Johansson included after he was declared eligible to play for Ireland following clearance from FIFA.
Sheffield Wendesday's Ciaran Brennan, Derby County’s Festy Ebosele and Lincoln City’s Sean Roughan get their first call-ups too, as does UCD striker and League of Ireland First Division top scorer Colm Whelan.
Dan Rose of Schalke 04, who was included in the initial squad ahead of the Wales friendly in March but was unable to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions, will join his first Under 21 camp.
The games will form part of the Under 21s' preparation for their 2023 European Championship qualifiers against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Luxembourg in September.
Fans of the Boys in Green will be able to watch Jim Crawford’s side, with the matches against Switzerland and Australia to be shown live on Premier Sports 1 and FreeSports in Ireland and the UK.
Ireland’s game with Denmark on Saturday, June 5 (which kicks off at 5 p.m.), will be shown in full at a later time of 9.30 p.m. on Premier Sports 1.
The schedule is (Irish time): Switzerland v Republic of Ireland, May 30, k.o. 11 a.m., Dama de Noche Football Centre, Marbella, Spain; Australia v Republic of Ireland, June 2, k.o. 12 p.m., Marbella Football Centre, Marbella, Spain; Republic of Ireland v Denmark, June 5, k.o. 5 p.m., Dama de Noche Football Centre, Marbella, Spain.
The Republic of Ireland squad in full is: goalkeepers – Sam Blair (Norwich City), Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), Dan Rose (Schalke 04); defenders – Ciaran Brennan (Sheffield Wednesday), Festy Ebosele (Derby County), Shane Flynn (Leicester City), Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United), Mark McGuinness (Arsenal), Lewis Richards (Wolves), Sean Roughan (Lincoln City); midfielders – John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa (Getafe), Luca Connell (Celtic), Conor Coventry (West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Alex Gilbert (Brentford), Conor Grant (Rochdale), Ryan Johansson (Sevilla), Conor Noss (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Louie Watson (Derby County); forwards – Jonathan Afolabi (Celtic), Will Ferry (Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Aston Villa).