Interim Ireland head coach Simon Easterby has named uncapped Leinster prop Jack Boyle to a 36-man squad for the Guinness Six Nations.
Boyle, 22, was chosen above Ulster’s Tom O’Toole, who will miss his country’s first two games of the tournament due to a suspension for a red card against Munster.
Easterby, who has taken interim leadership of the team while Andy Farrell leads this year’s British and Irish Lions trip of Australia, has made minimal changes since the autumn.
Hooker Dan Sheehan and wing James Lowe have been named to the squad and will join them on Sunday, January 26, assuming they recover from injuries with Leinster.
Sheehan has been out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament since last summer’s tour to South Africa, and Lowe had a calf injury during the 22-19 victory over Australia on November 30.
Jimmy O’Brien, a versatile back, and Jack Conan, a back rower, have also returned from injuries.
Caolin Blade of Connacht has been named third-choice scrum-half behind Jamison Gibson-Park and Conor Murray due to Craig Casey’s knee injury.
Centre Stuart McCloskey, who has a hamstring problem, Ulster teammates Jacob Stockdale and Nick Timoney, and Connacht hooker Dave Heffernan were also left out of Farrell’s previous squad selection.
Hugh Cooney, James McNabney, Ben Murphy, and Cathal Forde, all uncapped, will be part of the development squad.
Ireland will begin their quest for a remarkable third consecutive Championship title on Saturday, February 1, when England visits the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Easterby stated, “The Guinness Six Nations is one of the most competitive competitions on the global calendar, and there is a lot of excitement within the playing group and coaching staff for this year’s tournament.
“I’m very thrilled to work with a talented bunch, and speaking with the guys, you can see they’re up for the challenge.
“One of the attractions of the recent Autumn Nations Series was the emergence of several new internationals, including Thomas Clarkson, Cormac Izuchukwu, Gus McCarthy, and Sam Prendergast.
“We are also pleased to welcome back a number of players who were absent for the recent Autumn Nations Series, since their return will increase competition levels across the panel.
“While there is a strong sense of consistency in selection, having those players back significantly boosts our competitiveness.
“The problem about the Six Nations is that you have to hit the ground running; there’s no time to build or ease into competition. Every match is important, and facing England at home in the first round prepares everyone for what will be a difficult battle ahead.
2025 Ireland Six Nations squad:
Forwards (21):
Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(23)
Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht)(46)
Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(56)
Jack Boyle (UCD/Leinster)*
Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)(2)
Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(46)
Caelan Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster)(captain)(47)
Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)(78)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)(134)
Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster)(84)
Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(42)
Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(1)
Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(37)
Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(2)
Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(16)
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)(110)
Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)(70)
Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(4)
James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(67)
Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(27)
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(68)
Backs (15):
Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(60)
Caolin Blade (Galwegians/Connacht)(3)
Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(19)
Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(8)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(38)
Mack Hansen (Corinthians/Connacht)(25)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)(77)
Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster)(42)
James Lowe (Leinster)(36)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)(120)
Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)(8)
Jimmy O’Brien (Naas/Leinster)(8)
Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(5)
Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(3)
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)(63)
Development Players (4):
Hugh Cooney (Clontarf/Leinster)*
Cathal Forde (Corinthians/Connacht)*
James McNabney (City of Armagh/Ulster)*
Ben Murphy (Clontarf/Connacht)*
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