Between 1936 and 1954, the Irish national football team was known as Ireland, having changed from the Irish Free State in 1936, and before changing to the Republic of Ireland national side in 1954. This team was chosen by the FAI from players from the entire island of Ireland. At the same time, a team picked by the Irish Football Association (IFA) did the same, and played in the British Home Championship, also under the name Ireland. These are the results of the FAI-selected side which is recognised as the successor to the Irish Free State team and the precursor of the Republic of Ireland national football team. Ireland were coached by Joseph Wickham in qualifying for World Cup 1938, and Alex Stevenson for World Cup 1954.

Results

Date	Flag	Opposition	Result	Scorers	Venue	Tournament	Attendance
17 March 1936		Switzerland	1-0	Jimmy Dunne 34	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	32,000
3 May 1936		Hungary	3-3	Dunne 12, Joe O'Reilly 19, Owen Madden 68	Hungária Úti Stadium, Budapest, Hungary	Friendly	15,000
9 May 1936		Luxembourg	5-1	Dunne 9, 86, Joey Donnelly 65, Jimmy Kelly 71, 87	Stade Municipal, Luxembourg, Luxembourg	Friendly	8,000
17 October 1946		Germany	5-2	Donnelly 25, 69, Tom Davis 35 (p), 65, Matty Geoghegan 58	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	28,000
6 December 1936		Hungary	2-3	Bill Fallon 20, Davis 75 (p)	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	27,000
17 May 1937		Switzerland	1-0	Dunne 30	Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland	Friendly	25,000
23 May 1937		France	2-0	Davy Jordan 52, Jackie Brown 58	Colombes Stadium, Paris, France	Friendly	16,688
10 October 1937		Norway	2-3	Geoghegan 37, Dunne 49	Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway	1938 World Cup Qualifier	28,000
7 November 1937		Norway	3-3	Dunne 10, Kevin O'Flanagan 62, Harry Duggan 88	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	1938 World Cup Qualifier	27,000
18 May 1938		Czechoslovakia	2-2	Davis 42, Dunne 89	AC Sparta Stadium, Prague, Czechoslovakia	Friendly	17,000
22 May 1938		Poland	0-6		Polish Army Stadium, Warsaw, Poland	Friendly	25,000
18 September 1938		Switzerland	4-0	Paddy Bradshaw 1, 20, Dunne 8, Tommy Donnelly 70	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	31,000
13 November 1938		Poland	2-3	Bill Fallon 10, Johnny Carey 12, Dunne 68	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	34,295
19 March 1939		Hungary	2-2	Bradshaw 14, Carey 87	Mardyke Arena, Cork, Ireland	Friendly	12,000
18 May 1939		Hungary	2-2	Kevin O'Flanagan 53, 80	Hungária Úti Stadium, Budapest, Hungary	Friendly	15,000
23 May 1939		Germany	1-1	Bradshaw 65	Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany	Friendly	35,000
16 June 1946		Portugal	1-3	Jack O'Reilly	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Friendly	60,000
23 June 1946		Spain	1-0	Paddy Sloan 37	Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain	Friendly	45,000
30 September		England	0-1		Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	31,988
2 March 1947		Spain	3-2	Davy Walsh 16, 79, Paddy Coad 23	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	42,102
4 May 1947		Portugal	0-2		Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	31,618
23 May 1948		Portugal	0-2		Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Friendly	50,000
30 May 1948		Spain	1-2	Tommy Moroney	Montjuic Stadium, Barcelona, Spain	Friendly	--,---
26 June 1948		Netherlands	1-3	Brendan O'Kelly 52	Fratton Park, Portsmouth, England	1948 Olympics	8,000
5 December 1948		Switzerland	0-1		Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	25,563
24 April 1949		Belgium	0-2		Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	28,018
22 May 1949		Portugal	1-0	Coad 35 (p)	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	28,000
2 June 1949		Sweden	1-3	Walsh 9	Råsunda Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden	1950 World Cup Qualifier	38,000
12 June 1949		Spain	1-4	Con Martin 14 (p)	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	30,171
8 September 1949		Finland	3-0	Johnny Gavin 35, Martin 44 (p), 68	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	1950 World Cup Qualifier	22,479
21 September 1949		England	2-0	Martin 33 (p), Peter Farrell 85	Goodison Park, Liverpool, England	Friendly	51,047
9 October 1949		Finland	1-1	Farrell 65	Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland	1950 World Cup Qualifier	13,000
13 November 1949		Sweden	1-3	Martin 61 (p)	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	1950 World Cup Qualifier	41,031
10 May 1950		Belgium	1-5	Bobby Duffy 72	Century Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	Friendly	25,000
26 November 1950		Norway	2-2	Jackie Carey 24 (p), Walsh 61	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	31,215
13 May 1951		Argentina	0-1		Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	40,000
30 May 1951		Norway	3-2	Farrell 17, Alf Ringstead 67, Coad 82	Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway	Friendly	20,900
17 October 1951		West Germany	3-2	Posipal o.g. 9, Arthur Fitzsimons 40, Dessie Glynn 85	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	29,451
4 May 1952		West Germany	0-3		Müngersdorfer Stadion, Cologne, West Germany	Friendly	80,000
7 May 1952		Austria	0-6		Praeter Park, Vienna, Austria	Friendly	64,000
1 June 1952		Spain	0-6		Estadio Chamartín, Madrid, Spain	Friendly	75,000
16 November 1952		France	1-1	Sean Fallon 24	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	40,000
21 March 1953		Austria	4-0	Ringstead 46, 53, Tommy Eglington 74, Frank O'Farrell 80	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	Friendly	40,000
4 October 1953		France	3-5	Reg Ryan 58, Walsh 83, O'Farrell 85	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	1954 World Cup Qualifier	45,000
28 October 1953		Luxembourg	4-0	Fitzsimons 18, 59, Ryan 48, Eglington 62	Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland	1954 World Cup Qualifier	20,000
25 November 1953		France	0-1		Parc des Princes, Paris, France	1954 World Cup Qualifier	32,256
7 March 1954		Luxembourg	1-0	George Cummins 62	Stade Municipal, Luxembourg, Luxembourg	1954 World Cup Qualifier	20,000

1938 World Cup Qualification

GROUP 2

Results:
10 Oct 1937 – Norway 3-2 Ireland
07 Nov 1937 – Ireland 2-2 Norway

Table:

*GAv is Goal Average, and was used to determine the sides who would progress. It was replaced by Goal Difference in the 1970 World Cup.

Lineups:
v Norway (h): George McKenzie (G), Charles Turner (D, capt.), Michael Hoy (D), Tom Arrigan (D), Kevin O’Flanaghan (D), James Dunne (D), William O’Neill (M), Joseph O’Reilly (M), Harry Duggan (F), John Carey (F), William Gorman (F)

v Norway (a): McKenzie (G), Turner (D, capt.), Tommy Foy (D), Joe Williams (D), Dunne, Owen Kinsella (M), O’Reilly, Joey Donnelly (M), Tom Donnelly (F), William Jordan (F), Mattie Geoghegan (F)

1950 World Cup Qualification

GROUP 5

Results:
02 Jun 1949 – Sweden 3-1 Ireland
08 Sep 1949 – Ireland 3-0 Finland
09 Oct 1949 – Finland 1-1 Ireland
13 Nov 1949 – Ireland 1-3 Sweden
*Sweden and Finland’s head-to-head games were cancelled after Finland withdrew.

Table:

Lineups:
v Sweden (a): Tommy Godwin (G), Rory Keane (D), Jackie Carey (D, capt.), Thomas Moroney (D), Con Martin (D), Edward Gannon (M), Danny McGowan (M), David Walsh (M), Paddy Coad (F), Tommy Eglington (F), Jackie O’Driscoll (F)

v Finland (h): Godwin (G), Carey (D, capt.), Moroney (D), Martin (D), Thomas Aherne (D), Gannon (M), John Gavin (M), Arthur Fitzsimons (M), Brendan Carroll (F), Tommy O’Connor (F), Peter Desmond (F)

v Finland (a): Godwin (G), Carey (D, capt.), Aherne (D), Moroney (D), Martin (D), Tim Coffey (M), D. Walsh (M), Gavin (M), O’Connor (F), Desmond (F), Peter Farrell (F)

v Sweden (h): Godwin (G), Carey (D, capt.), Aherne (D), Martin (D), William Walsh (D), Reg Ryan (M), Peter Corr (M), D. Walsh (M), Farrell (F), Desmond (F), O’Connor (F)

1954 World Cup Qualification

GROUP 4

Results:
20 Sep 1953 – Luxembourg 1-6 France
04 Oct 1953 – Ireland 3-5 France
28 Oct 1953 – Ireland 4-0 Luxembourg
25 Nov 1953 – France 1-0 Ireland
27 Dec 1953 – France 8-0 Luxembourg
07 Mar 1954 – Luxembourg 0-1 Ireland

Table:

Lineups:
v France (h): James O’Neill (G), Seamus Dunne (D), Thomas Aherne (D), Peter Farrell (D), Con Martin (D), Frank O’Farrell (M), Thomas Moroney (M), Arthur Fitzsimons (M), Davy Walsh (F), Reg Ryan (F), Thomas Eglington (F, capt.)

v Luxembourg (h): O’Neill (G), Robin Lawler (D), S. Dunne (D), Edward Gannon (D), Noel Cantwell (D), Liam Munroe (M), George Cummins (M), Fitzsimons (M), Ryan (F), Eglington (F, capt.), Shay Gibbons (F)

v France (a): O’Neill (G), Thomas Clinton (D), Lawler (D), Gannon (D), Martin (D), Farrell (D), Alf Ringstead (M), Fitzsimons (M), D. Walsh (F), Ryan (F), Eglington (F, capt.)

v Luxembourg (a): Ted Scannell (G), Clinton (D), Tommy Traynor (D), Matt Gallagher (D), Martin (D, capt.), Patrick Saward (M), John Gavin (M), Noel Kelly (M), Cummins (M), Fred Kearns (F), Jimmy Hartnett (F)