Offaly's Bergin named in Dooley's shinty squad

Ireland manager Joe Dooley has included his fellow Offaly man Joe Bergin in his 18-man squad for the forthcoming hurling/shinty internationals against Scotland. Former Offaly hurling manager Dooley and Bergin are both from the Seir Kieran club, and Dooley was an inspirational figure for the Clareen side during the club's glory days. While the majority of the shinty squad is made up of players from hurling's so-called weaker counties, Kilkenny's Michael Rice (captain) and Tipperary duo Eoin Kelly and Brendan Maher are also included. The rest of the players are spread across nine counties, five of which - Kildare, Tyrone, Mayo, Kerry and Wicklow - didn't compete in the 2011 Liam McCarthy Cup. The first Test takes place in Athy on Saturday at 3pm with the return leg in Inverness, Scotland, seven days later at 2pm. Both matches will be preceded by an under-21 fixture. Dooley - who stepped down as Offaly manager after the 2011 championship campaign - is joined on the Irish management team by Kevin Ryan (Carlow) and Jim McKernan (Antrim), while Michael Walsh and John Meyler oversee the under-21s. IRELAND SQUAD: P Mullaney (Laois), A Graffin (Antrim), C Donnelly (Antrim), D Kennedy (Kildare), T Murnane (Kerry), B Maher (Tipperary), K Divilly (Kildare), E Price (Westmeath), M Rice (Kilkenny, capt), W Hyland (Laois), B Murtagh (Westmeath), E Nolan (Carlow), J Bergin (Offaly), E Kelly (Tipperary), A O'Brien (Wicklow), D Maguire (Tyrone), J Doran (Kildare), S Morley.