For Jack Taylor, a Londoner with Longford roots, a Republic of Ireland debut would be a proud moment, even if it’s unlikely to lead to ambassadorial tourist work on behalf of the home county of his maternal grandfather.
“I hear it’s in the country somewhere,” he says of the place where the late Jim Skelly was born before emigrating for a new life across the water.
“I’ve been there when I was little. I can’t remember it that much, but I don’t think there’s a lot to do there.”
He’s always been a city boy, but the 26-year-old has found new life in his club and international career by relocating to Ipswich, where an Irish colony has set up in the English countryside.
Taylor was always in Stephen Kenny’s thoughts, having featured in his Under-21 side and coming into senior consideration when he was playing at National League level with Barnet, but his selection for this week’s double-header ahead of established squad members would suggest Heimir Hallgrimsson is an even bigger believer.
With summer signings Dara O’Shea, Chiedozie Ogbene and Sammie Szmodics in the squad, Taylor is the lesser-known member of the Tractor Boys quartet, but he is ready to announce his arrival on the scene.
“My mum has always been really proud to be Irish and my grandad when he was here still was the most Irish man ever,” he explains.
“I know that doesn’t sound like me [a reference to his accent] but he was really proud and he would be very proud now looking down.”
“I’m 26 now. I was praying it would come a little bit earlier but these things happen in football. When that [debut] moment does come then it will be that bit more special for the whole family.”
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Taylor is an attacking midfielder with technical prowess. He came on to the Republic’s underage radar during his long association with Barnet, where there was a sense he would always step up to league level.
There’s a crossover with Szmodics that goes beyond their shared Longford heritage — a subject they have never discussed — as Peterborough was a key club in their development.
Peterborough paid to take Taylor from Barnet in 2020 and Kieran McKenna identified him as a Championship-standard recruit after Ipswich secured League One promotion in the summer of 2023.
They bounced straight into the Premier League at the first attempt and while Taylor was more of a squad player than a regular starter, he has survived the step up and has made five appearances off the bench this term, catching Hallgrimsson’s eye along the way.
“I knew the manager was at the game against Aston Villa so I knew if I was to come on and make an impact, I’d at least impress him. Thankfully, I’ve eventually been called up,” said Taylor, who is hopeful the double-header in Finland and Greece can deliver a few minutes on the pitch — the new manager has provided a few encouraging words.
“He [Hallgrimsson] just said that I can bring a different aspect in the middle of the pitch, whether that’s going forward progressing with the ball, he likes my attacking side but obviously defensively as well you need to bring every aspect of your game to the team.
“So he’s not specifically told me I’m here for this or here for that, just embed myself in the team and become a part of the squad.”
Taylor’s first call did come right at the start of the Kenny era, in the midst of the pandemic when he was summoned from Under-21 duty in Italy to fill out the squad for a Nations League draw with Bulgaria in Dublin, a game he watched from the bench.
It’s difficult for him to put a positive sheen on that experience.
“Jim [Crawford] pulled me and said I’d been called into the first team,” he recalls. “I got a flight back to Dublin but because of Covid, I couldn’t really mingle with the lads. Socially, we had to go into our own rooms. Strange one. Football is like that at times.
“I’ve been obviously a bit gutted when I haven’t been called up and questioned why I wasn’t given the opportunity but these things happen in football. It’s just one of those things you have to get on with and eventually it has come again.”
At the start of a different regime, he’s hoping for a happier ending.