Republic of Ireland interim head coach John O'Shea has named his coaching team ahead of the March International friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.
The former Manchester United man will have fellow former Ireland international Glenn Whelan in as assistant, Rene Gilmartin as goalkeeper coach, Martin Doyle as an analyst and former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr joins the team as a Technical Advisor.
Kerr is the headline name from this announcement. He was manager of the Boys in Green from 2003 to 2005 after a prolific career as a coach at the underage level. His time as gaffer came with disappointments as Ireland were unable to qualify for the 2004 European Championships. He then went on to manage the Faroe Islands from 2009 to 2011 and hasn't had a managerial job since. In the meantime he has been a pundit for Virgin Media where he has been one of Stephen Kenny's most vocal critics.
Coming in as assistant to O'Shea is Glenn Whelan. Whelan made 91 caps for Ireland between 2008 and 2019 and appeared at both European Championships on 2012 and 2016. He last coaching role came with Bristol Rovers as an assistant coach while Joey Barton was in charge.
Rene Gilmartin joins the team as goalkeeping coach. The Dubliner has been a coach at high-flying Ipswich town since 2021 and had been working with O'Shea with the Ireland U21s
In a statement on the FAI's website, O'Shea said;
"Brian brings with him a wealth of experience we'll be able tap into during the camp and his passion for Irish football and the Ireland national team is well known and will be a welcome addition to the group.
"Glenn was an unbelievable servant for his country during his distinguished playing career and we'll be delighted to welcome him back into the international fold as a coach, having recently spent time with the Ireland U16s during the Victory Shield.
"Rene Gilmartin steps up from the Ireland U21s set-up where he has worked since 2019 and so crucially, already has a great relationship with our current goalkeeper group."
Martin Doyle is going to step up from his role with the U21's to become analyst for the MNT while fellow analyst Stephen Rice and Athletic Performance Coach Damien Doyle will both continue their roles they had previously done under Stephen Kenny.
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