{"id":465909,"date":"2026-05-25T08:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/465909\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T08:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:16:09","slug":"graham-burke-is-ready-to-relinquish-his-ireland-as-teammates-prepare-for-biggest-honour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/465909\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Burke is ready to relinquish his Ireland as teammates prepare for \u2018biggest honour\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Shamrock Rovers forward was capped three times by Martin O\u2019Neill and scored in a friendly win against the USA.<\/p>\n<p>08:10, 25 May 2026Updated 08:10, 25 May 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/71732_1381911.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Ireland\u2019s Graham Burke with Benjamin Pavard of France\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Ireland\u2019s Graham Burke with Benjamin Pavard of France(Image: INPHO\/Ryan Byrne)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Graham Burke says memories of his own international call-ups have come flooding back this past week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/shamrock-rovers-fc\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Shamrock Rovers<\/a> striker has seen teammates Ed McGinty and Adam Brennan win their spots in <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/heimir-hallgrimsson\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Heimir Hallgr\u00edmsson<\/a>\u2019s squad for the friendlies against Qatar and Canada.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Hoops boss <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/stephen-bradley\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Stephen Bradley<\/a> will be without the pair for tonight\u2019s Dublin derby away to Bohemians as they prepare for Thursday\u2019s Aviva Stadium clash with Qatar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Burke was capped three times under Martin O\u2019Neill in 2018, and he became the first <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/all-about\/league-of-ireland\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">League of Ireland<\/a> player since the late Ray Treacy to score for the Boys in Green.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Treacy scored twice against Turkey in 1978 during his time with the Hoops, while Burke found the net in a 2-1 friendly win over the USA 40 years later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cYeah, it brings back memories,\u201d he said of the calls for Brennan and McGinty. \u201cIt&#8217;s great for the lads in the league to be called in to look for the lads here and to see lads in the league get that opportunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIt brings me back, it&#8217;s a great memory of mine, one that I will always cherish, and to see the lads get called up does bring back memories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The 32-year-old admitted that he found it daunting when he first arrived into camp, ahead of his debut in a friendly against France at the Stade de France.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But he backed his Rovers pals to settle quickly into life on the international stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cYeah, it is daunting,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it&#8217;s daunting to go into any changing room, wherever, no matter where you go, any changing room, not knowing people and going in, it can be daunting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s the biggest honour you could have. I&#8217;m sure it will be nervous for the lads, but I&#8217;m sure they&#8217;ll be welcomed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cThe players will welcome them in and it&#8217;s something they should be really excited for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">While McGinty has previously lined out at Under-21 level for Ireland, the rise of Brennan, who only turns 19 next Friday, is incredible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Capped at Under-19s level, the left-wing-back is just half-a-season into life as a Premier Division player, having joined Rovers last winter from First Division side UCD.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cEverybody can see he&#8217;s got bundles of ability and it&#8217;s deserved,\u201d said Burke of his call-up\/<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s brilliant. It&#8217;s a great journey that he&#8217;s on. He&#8217;s very, very young to get that opportunity at such a young age, it&#8217;s unbelievable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cFor Adam now it&#8217;s just to keep doing as well as he is and keep going on that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">What if Brennan nicks Burke\u2019s record of being the last League of Ireland player to score for Ireland?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIf one of the lads go and score,I&#8217;ll be delighted for them. I wouldn&#8217;t even think of that to be honest,\u201d insisted the forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">McGinty\u2019s absence means a league debut tonight for 17-year-old goalkeeper Alex Noonan, and Burke reckons manager Stephen Bradley has \u201ca terrific goalkeeper\u201d to deputise for the experienced number one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cThe manager has shown that if young players are ready, they will play and he has a lot of faith in Alex,\u201d added Burke.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/newsletter-preference-centre\/?view=Solus&amp;mailingListId=b1ea692a-d5b9-4239-b4e4-d4296e9f32c1&amp;utm_source=solusarticle\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Shamrock Rovers forward was capped three times by Martin O\u2019Neill and scored in a friendly win against&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465910,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1399,14645,172788,4700,61,60,2539,65561,43,57217,103977,91985],"class_list":["post-465909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-aviva-stadium","tag-bohemian-fc","tag-graham-burke","tag-heimir-hallgrimsson","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-league-of-ireland","tag-martin-oneill","tag-news","tag-republic-of-ireland-national-football-team","tag-shamrock-rovers-f-c","tag-shamrock-rovers-fc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465909\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}