The Arsenal Connection

The Ireland-Arsenal link stretches from the nineteenth century to the present day. It has seen Irish players as captain and key figures in some of the Gunners' major successes...

Founded: 1886
Previous Names: 1886, Dial Square; 1886, Royal Arsenal; 1891, Woolwich Arsenal; 1914, Arsenal.
Grounds: 1886, Plumstead Common; 1887, Sportsman Ground; 1888, Manor Ground; 1890, Invicta Ground; 1893, Manor Ground; 1913, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury; 2006, Emirates Stadium/Arsenal Stadium, Ashburton Grove.

League History:
Elected to Football League 1893; Football League Division Two 1893/94-1903/04; Division One 1904/05-1912/13; Division Two 1913/14-1918/19; Division One 1919/20-1991/92; FA Premier League 1992/93-date.

Club Honours:
FA Premier League Champions (3) 1997/98, 2001/02, 2003/04, Runners-Up (5) 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2004/05.
Football League Champions (10) 1930/31, 1932/33, 1933/34, 1934/35, 1937/38, 1947/48, 1952/53, 1970/71, 1988/89, 1990/91, Runners-Up (3) 1925/26, 1931/32, 1972/73; Division Two Runners-Up (1) 1903/04.
FA Cup Winners (10) 1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, Runners-Up (7) 1927, 1932, 1952, 1972, 1978, 1980, 2001.
Football League Cup Winners (2) 1987, 1993, Runners-Up (4) 1968, 1969, 1988, 2007.
FA Charity/Community Shield Winners (12) 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991*, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004 (*1 shared), Runners-Up (7) 1935, 1936, 1979, 1989, 1993, 2003, 2005.

European Competitions:
European Cup entrants 1971/72, 1991/92.
UEFA Champions League Runners-Up (1) 2005/06, entrants 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2006/07.
European Cup Winners’ Cup Winners (1) 1993/94, Runners-Up (2) 1979/80, 1994/95.
Fairs Cup Winners (1) 1969/70, entrants 1963/64, 1970/71.
UEFA Cup Runners-Up (1) 1999/00*, entrants 1978/79, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1996/97, 1997/98 (* after elimination from Champions League).
Super Cup Runners-Up (1) 1994.

Arsenal / Northern Ireland All-Time XI

Pat Jennings
Pat Rice, Alex Mackie, Terry Neill, Andy Kennedy, Sammy Nelson
Steve Morrow, Jimmy Magill, Billy McCullough, Joe Toner
Tom Shanks

Players Capped by the Irish FA while at Arsenal:
...............Arsenal... ..League.... ....Caps
Player........ Career* .. App(sb)/Gls at AFC Total
Dickson, W.... 1953-55 .. .29 (0)/ 1 .. .3 .. (12)
Jennings, P.A. 1977-84 .. 237 (0)/ 0 .. 42 ..(119)
Kennedy, A.L.. 1922-27 .. 122 (0)/ 0 .. .2 .. ( 2)
Mackie, J..... 1922-26 .. 108 (0)/ 0 .. .1 .. ( 3)
Magill, E.J... 1959-65 .. 116 (0)/ 0 .. 21 .. (26)
McClelland, J. 1961-64 .. .46 (0)/ 0 .. .5 .. ( 6)
McCullough, W. 1958-66 .. 253 (0)/ 4 .. .9 .. (10)
Morrow, S.J... 1991-96 .. .39(23)/ 1 .. 24 .. (39)
Neill, W.J.T.. 1960-70 .. 240 (1)/ 8 .. 44 .. (59)
Nelson, S..... 1969-81 .. 245(10)/10 .. 48 .. (51)
Rice, P.J..... 1967-80 .. 391 (6)/12 .. 49 .. (49)
Shanks, T..... 1903-04 .. .44 (0)/28 .. .2 .. ( 4)
Sloan, J.W.... 1946-48 .. .33 (0)/ 1 .. .1 .. ( 1)
Toner, J...... 1919-25 .. .89 (0)/ 0 .. .6 .. ( 8)
TOTALS........ ......... 1992(40)/65 . 257


Other Arsenal/Northern Ireland Links:
Dean Shiels won Youth caps while with Arsenal but left without making the first team. He has since won Full caps.
Fred Clarke (26/0 1962-65) won all four of his Under-23 caps while with Arsenal.
MJ Connor (14/2 1902-03) won three caps after leaving Arsenal.
David Duncan (3/1 1912-13) was born in Co Antrim, but never capped at any level.
Jimmy Dunne (28/10 1933-36) won all seven of his caps prior to arriving at Highbury.
Pat Farrell (19/2 1897-98) won two caps after leaving Arsenal.
Jim Harvey (2(1)/0 1978-80) won an Under-21 cap while with Arsenal and was later Northern Ireland assistant-manager to Sammy McIlroy.
Davy Hannah (46/17 1897-99) also played for Liverpool, but was never capped.
Colin Hill (46/1 1983-84) was called up to the Northern Ireland squad before leaving Arsenal, but had to wait until 1990 to win the first of 27 caps.
James Hopkins (21/7 1921-22) won a single cap against England in 1925.
Dr. Kevin O’Flanagan (14/3 1946-47) won (Northern) Ireland Amateur and War-Time caps and 10 Eire caps. He also played Rugby for Ireland.
Frank Ransom (1/0 1903-04) was born in Ireland but played all his football in the London-area and was never capped.
Peter Tilley (1/0 1953/54) later went on to have success with Bury and Halifax but was never capped.
Norman Uprichard spent two seasons with Arsenal in the late 1940s without playing a first team game. He later won 18 Full caps.

Daniel Ballard

Al James Hannigan

Web Links:
Arsenal.com - Official Site
ArseWeb.com - Fans Site
GunnerMania - Player Archive
Dublin Arsenal Supporters Club