Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Tue 17 March 2026 12:10, UK

St Patrick’s Day has arrived, and Everton have plenty of history when it comes to Ireland.

The city of Liverpool has one of the strongest Irish roots out of any in the United Kingdom, and that has translated over into the world of football.

Throughout the 148 years of Everton, there have been plenty of Irishmen to represent the Toffees, but there can only be a select few who remain in an elite list.

Mark Travers and Jake O’Brien are two of the most recent Irishmen to join, and they will be hoping to eventually join the list with strong performances in Everton’s matches.

Here at Goodison News, we are going through some of the best Irishmen that have ever played for Everton since the club was founded in 1878.

Seamus Coleman

Coleman joined the Blues in 2009 for just £60,000 and to this day remains one of Everton’s greatest transfers because of it.

The right-back is the current club captain for the Toffees and has also captained his national side on multiple occasions as well.

Now at 37 years old, Coleman is Everton’s record Premier League appearance holder with 372 games under his belt.

The Irishman no doubt goes down as one of the greatest of his nation to ever pull on the Everton shirt after 17 years of hard service.

Coleman’s contract at Everton is expiring at the end of the season; however, supporters will forever remember him as a legend of the club.

Kevin Sheedy

Kevin Sheedy is one of the few players who made the switch over the red and blue divide, having joined the Toffees from Liverpool in 1982.

However, when it comes to which fanbase will be fonder of the Irishman, that is, Everton.

Sheedy is Everton’s record Irish goalscorer, scoring 92 goals in 347 appearances across all competitions for the Blues.

During his time, his trophy cabinet was well stocked. He won two league titles, one FA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year twice while representing Everton.

Although he was born in Wales, the left midfielder opted to represent his father’s country, the Republic of Ireland.

Alex Stevenson

Alex Stevenson’s time at Everton came pre-World War II, but the Irishman could have done so much more for the Blues if that were not the case.

The inside left played 256 times for the Toffees between 1934 and 1949, in which he netted 82 goals.

However, with the war breaking out in 1939, and with Stevenson just 27 years old, he could not have the impact he should have had.

• Second-highest Irish goalscorer for Everton with 82 goals
• 11th all-time in Everton’s top goalscorers

The outbreak of the war essentially thwarted the Irishman when he was reaching the peak years of his career.

Despite that, Stevenson did still contribute to a league title in 1938-1939, the last season before the war forced football to be abandoned.

If it weren’t for playing in that period, the Irishman could have added plenty more trophies to his cabinet.

Peter Farrell

After World War II ended, Peter Farrell joined Everton in 1946, and he would spend 11 years at the Merseyside club.

Farrell played 341 times for the Blues and was ultimately named captain of the side in 1951. Unfortunately, the Irishman was part of the Everton side that was relegated in the 1950-1951 season.

However, as skipper, he led the Toffees back to the top flight three seasons later. Interestingly, Farrell was never sent off while playing for Everton despite his 341 appearances.

His trophy cabinet might be empty, but he still goes down as one of the great Irishmen to represent the People’s Club.