Hibs Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year for 2025/26 Jamie McGrath says he was “over the moon” to win his 14th senior cap for the Republic of Ireland in a 1-0 win over Qatar at Aviva Stadium on Thursday.
McGrath was on holiday to enjoy some quality time with his partner after he earned an end-of-season awards double.
But instead he took a detour to Dublin after earning a first call-up to his national team since November 2025 from boss Heimir Hallgrimsson.
“I was in Malaga!” he said. “I was obviously over the moon. Everybody’s over the moon.
“It was a no-brainer. It’s your country at the end of the day. I’m a proud Irishman, and I’d never reject a call-up.
“It was a quick turnaround, and I had other holidays planned this week.
“My girlfriend actually travelled to Nashville on her own with two of our mates, so she was trying to get Wi-Fi on the plane to watch it.
“I just had to tell her I won’t be on the flight on Thursday!
“We had a busy summer planned when I found out I was in the original squad – but we’ll drop that in the morning if I’m getting another cap playing for my country because, at the end of the day, as a kid, that’s all you want to do.
“You’ve got the rest of your life to go on holiday, and you might not get this chance again. You have 30 years when you retire to go on holiday.
“We were meant to go to Nashville for two weeks. We have to do a bit of rearranging. I think she and my dad might fly over to Montreal now. We’ll probably fly away after, so we’ve loads of time. It’s not a big deal.
“I’m just delighted to get the nod. I have a great relationship with the gaffer, and he was quite clear. It was delightful.
“Personally, it was great to be back in a green shirt, play 90 minutes and obviously come out on the right side of it.
“It’s a positive night for us. We had to dig in, playing the majority of the game with ten men. I’m just delighted to be back out there, as there is no better feeling.”
