Wicklow to Wisconsin: Meet Irish-born NFL player Daniel Whelan
As Ireland prepares to say céad míle fáilte to thousands of NFL fans, one Irishman in particular will be watching with interest from afar.
On 28 September 2025, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin in the first-ever NFL regular season game in Ireland. The game, which is taking place in Croke Park, the iconic home of Gaelic games in Ireland, is part of the NFL International Series, which also sees matches taking place in São Paulo, London, Berlin and Madrid this year.
The NFL in Ireland
26-year-old Daniel Whelan, who grew up in the picturesque village of Enniskerry in Co. Wicklow, is a punter for four-time Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers of Wisconsin. Before the game in Ireland game was confirmed, Whelan was hoping his team would get the call. Instead, their rivals from Minnesota will make the journey across the Atlantic.
“I thought we were going to play there this year. I was thoroughly convinced we would be playing in Croke Park and no, the Vikings! I would love to play in Ireland someday,” says Whelan.
A passion for sports across the Atlantic
Whelan attended St Gerard’s School in Bray before moving to Palm Springs, California with his family at the age of 13. Sports were a big part of his life growing up in Ireland.
“I pretty much played every sport. Then at St Gerard’s, I hurt my back playing rugby so I decided to focus on soccer and tennis. When I came to the States, at about 16 years old, the coach asked me to try out for the [American] football team. And I got the kicking job,” he explains.
A college football start
It was only when Whelan later attended the University of California, Davis and played college football that he began to consider the possibility of a career in the NFL.
“I really wasn't thinking [about football] that much until I kept getting a little bit better each year. And then I was like, okay, maybe I do have a chance. I switched my focus to basically just football for the rest of college to try and do the best I could,” he says.
First Irish-born NFL player in 40 years
After a brief stint playing in Canada, Whelan first signed for the Packers in 2023, becoming the first Irish-born NFL player to play in a regular season game in 40 years.
In the last two years he has developed into one of the best punters in the league and was recently rewarded with a seven figure contract extension.
An Irish boom in American football
Whelan says he’s happy to see the growth in popularity of the game in Ireland and there’s no reason why more Irish players can’t make the move to the States and be successful.
“It’s great for the game of football. I think if more Irish people get involved with the game and see other Irish people do it, then they’re going to get attached to those players, follow them and start to understand the game more. And it doesn’t have to be kicking or punting, it could be any position.”
The road from GAA to NFL
Interestingly, Daniel Whelan is not the only Irish-born player currently associated with the Green Bay Packers.
Last month, the Packers signed Dubliner Mark McNamee to their practice squad. McNamee, a former Gaelic football goalkeeper with Ballyboden St Enda’s, is the latest in a series of Irish players attempting to make their way in the league.
And the connections between the NFL and Ireland don’t stop there.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the designated home team for the upcoming match. The team’s president, Art Rooney II, and his family have a deep connection to Ireland.
The late Dan M. Rooney Sr, Art Rooney’s father, served as the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2009-2012. He was also a co-founder of the Ireland Funds charity.
May the best team win.