Mick McCarthy today named a 30-man squad for the April 25th World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Dublin.
The big news is Mark Kennedy's return for the first time since a night-time incident with a police car in Dublin last September. Phil Babb, who was also involved in the incident, is not named.
Niall Quinn and Steve Carr also feature, having recovered from the injuries that ruled them out of the recent trips to Cyprus and Barcelona.
McCarthy said he named a big squad to buffer against any injuries between now and the match - and because he may drop crucial players such as Roy Keane so they do not get bookings that would force them to miss the Portugal match.
Squad:
Goalkeepers:Alan Kelly (Blackburn Rovers), Shay Given (Newcastle United), Dean Kiely (Charlton Athletic), Nick Colgan (Hibernian)
Defenders:Gary Kelly (Leeds United), Steve Staunton (Aston Villa), Ian Harte (Leeds United), Gary Breen (Coventry City), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Kenny Cunningham (Wimbledon), Gary Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Stephen Carr (Tottenham Hotspur), Barry Quinn (Coventry City), Curtis Fleming (Middlesbrough)
Midfielders:Roy Keane (Manchester United), Mark Kinsella (Charlton Athletic), Lee Carsley (Coventry City), Jason McAteer (Blackburn Rovers), Matt Holland (Ipswich Town), Kevin Kilbane (Sunderland), Steve Finnan (Fulham), Rory Delap (Derby County), Mark Kennedy (Manchester City), Gareth Farrelly (Bolton Wanderers), Graham Kavanagh (Stoke City)
Forwards:Damien Duff (Blackburn Rovers), Niall Quinn (Sunderland), Robbie Keane (Leeds United), David Connolly (Feyenoord), Keith O'Neill (Middlesbrough)