Like most white fellas, my family background combines a few cultures though primarily it is Irish, and German. Which brings me to the next point: Why not chose an Australian Test 11 of players whose family origins are from the Emerald Isle. Here we go !
Tom Horan
Tom Kelly
Stan McCabe
Norm O’Neill
Peter Toohey
Colin McCool
James Kelly
Kerry O’Keefe
Bill O’Reilly
Ernie McCormick
Alan Connolly
12th man Simon O’ Donnell
Stan McCabe might indeed be of Scotch origin, but the name Mc Cabe occurs amongst both groups of Gaelic speakers.
Caba is the Irish name for cap, hood, helmet, with McCabe being the son of the helmeted one.
Who have i left out? Who wouldn’t you have chosen? Does the batting order look correct, or maybe Kerry o’Keefe should open, as he once did, in 1977. It’s over to my fellow Almanacers.
Glen!
There are two glaring omissions from this team, namely Glenn McGrath and Craig McDermott.
Both those players should replace Ernie McCormick and Alan Connolly.
After googling Australian cricketers of Irish Origin, this is the team that was published:
1. Jack Fingleton (18 Tests Australia 1932-38/paternal grandparents emigrated from Portlaoise to Melbourne in 1870)
2. Lindsay Hassett (c) (43 Tests Australia 1938-53/great grandparents hailed from Ennis in Country Clare)
3. Charlie Macartney (35 Tests Australia 1907-26)
4. Stan McCabe (39 Tests Australia 1930-38/Irish Origin on both sides of the family)
5. Norm O’ Neill (42 Tests Australia 1958-65)
6, Leo O’Brien (5 Tests Australia 1932-36)
7. Tom Horan (15 Tests Australia 1877-85/only member of this team to be born in Ireland)
8. Ray Lindwall (61 Tests Australia 1946-60/Irish ancestry on his mother’s side)
9. James Kelly (wk) (36 Tests Australia 1896-1905/Irish descent)
10. Bill O’Reilly (27 Tests Australia 1932-46)
11. Ernie McCormick (12 Tests Australia 1935-38)
Cooper Connolly, who made his Test debut for Australia on 10 February, 2025 could now be added to the squad of Celtic Green Caps, even if has just played one Test match, to date. That’s assuming that he is of Irish descent, as the surname Connolly is of Irish origin, derived from several different Gaelic names, including O Conghaile and O Conghalaigh.
Cooper Connolly has Irish heritage. Nathan McSweeney has no known Irish heritage, even though the surname McSweeney is of Irish origin.