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Irish derby
Location	Ireland (UEFA)
Teams	Northern Ireland; Republic of Ireland
First meeting	Republic 0–0 Northern; (20 September 1978); UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying
Latest meeting	Republic 0–0 Northern; (15 November 2018); Friendly
Statistics
Meetings total	11
Most wins	Republic of Ireland (4)
Most player appearances	Tony Cascarino (8 apps)
Top scorer	Robbie Keane; Andy Townsend; Niall Quinn; (2 goals)
All-time record	Republic: 4; Draw: 5; Northern: 2
Largest victory	Republic 5–0 Northern; (24 May 2011); Friendly
Largest goal scoring	Republic 5–0 Northern; (24 May 2011); Friendly
	Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland

The Irish derby is a term given to football matches between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. A total of 11 matches has been played with Republic of Ireland winning four as compared to Northern Ireland's two wins and five matches ending in a draw.

History

The rivalry started in the second half of the 19th century, as the sport was becoming popular on the island of Ireland, but due to it being most favoured among the Ulster Protestants community, the Irish Football Association was set up in Belfast rather than the capital city of Dublin. The Association was also biased towards Northern players: between its formation in 1882 and 1921, only 75 southern players were capped for the IFA's Ireland team compared to 798 from the north.^[1]^[2] Following the partition of Ireland, the Dublin-based Football Association of Ireland was established along with its own national side. Both bodies initially selected players from across the island with little problem (unlike the FAI team, the IFA side was not affiliated to FIFA and continued to take part in the British Home Championship). However, after the Home Nations rejoined FIFA after the Second World War, the 1950 FIFA World Cup qualification process involved both Ireland teams, and the FAI complained when the IFA selected four southern players, leading to FIFA ruling that the teams could only select players from their own part of the island, and neither could be referred to as simply 'Ireland': from then on they were referred to as the Northern Ireland national football team and Republic of Ireland national football team, although the former continued to call themselves Ireland in the British Home Championship until the 1970s.

While attempts have been made to encourage a friendlier relationship between the teams and their communities in the wake of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which did much to bring an end to the 30-year sectarian armed conflict in Northern Ireland, one aspect of that agreement has led to further sporting tension: citizens of Northern Ireland can classify as British or Irish, and several players raised in the North, including some who featured for Northern Ireland at youth and senior levels, have opted to play internationally for the Republic of Ireland, frustrating the selectors in Belfast who already have a limited pool of talent (a population of under two million – less than half of the Republic – and a smaller diaspora in Britain) to choose from.

List of matches

No.	Date	Venue	Competition	Result
1	20 September 1978	Dublin	UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying	Republic of Ireland	0–0	Northern Ireland
2	21 November 1979	Belfast	UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying	Northern Ireland	1–0	Republic of Ireland
3	14 September 1988	Belfast	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification	Northern Ireland	0–0	Republic of Ireland
4	11 October 1989	Dublin	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification	Republic of Ireland	3–0	Northern Ireland
5	31 March 1993	Dublin	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification	Republic of Ireland	3–0	Northern Ireland
6	17 November 1993	Belfast	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification	Northern Ireland	1–1	Republic of Ireland
7	16 November 1994	Belfast	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying	Northern Ireland	0–4	Republic of Ireland
8	29 March 1995	Dublin	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying	Republic of Ireland	1–1	Northern Ireland
9	29 May 1999	Dublin	Friendly	Republic of Ireland	0–1	Northern Ireland
10	24 May 2011	Dublin	2011 Nations Cup	Republic of Ireland	5–0	Northern Ireland
11	15 November 2018	Dublin	Friendly	Republic of Ireland	0–0	Northern Ireland

Statistics

All-time most appearances

Player	Appearances	Position
Tony Cascarino	8	Striker
Niall Quinn	7	Striker
Paul McGrath		Defender
Andy Townsend		Midfielder
Denis Irwin	6	Defender
Roy Keane		Midfielder
Ray Houghton		Midfielder
Iain Dowie	5	Striker
Nigel Worthington		Midfielder/Defender
Packie Bonner		Goalkeeper
John Aldridge		Striker
Steve Staunton		Defender