Harry Kane has once again put his Irish heritage in the conversation after scoring twice in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia to open their World Cup campaign. IrishCentral has previously reported that Kane’s father, Patrick, is from Galway and that the family has roots in the Connemara Gaeltacht.
Harry Kane may be England’s captain and talisman, but his Irish story remains part of the folklore around one of football’s biggest names. With his brace helping Thomas Tuchel’s side make a flying start against Croatia, the conversation around Kane is not just about goals and trophies but also about the west of Ireland family roots that could once have placed him in a green jersey instead.
The Tottenham striker, who finished as top goalscorer at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, can become England's all-time top goalscorer if he scores three times at the World Cup, which would see him overtake Wayne Rooney - another English player with strong Irish roots.
However, based on his Irish roots, Kane's international career could have been very different. Kane's Irish family is actually a Gaelic-speaking family from the Connemara Gaeltacht in western Ireland, and it doesn't get more Irish than that.
His father, Patrick Kane, is from Galway, and while Harry and his brother Charlie were born and raised in London, they were brought up in a very Irish environment.
It is understood that Kane visited his father's homeland in western Ireland before soccer began to take up more of his time.
Still, Co Galway remains proud of Kane and his accomplishments. During the 2018 World Cup, the Connacht Tribune newspaper ran a headline “He’s One of Our Own” with a picture of Kane, and a pub in Letterfrack, Co Galway, gave away free pints to customers every time Kane scored a goal.
He had a struggling start to his career at Tottenham Hotspur, and the Irish soccer officials who monitor English and Scottish players missed him completely.
They only became aware of him when his agent called to say his client might like to play for Ireland.
The Irish finally took a look, but by then it was too late. The English Football Association snapped him up, and he has become a world-class striker, something the Irish team sadly lacks.
The great Irish teams of the Jack Charlton era featured many foreign-born Irish players, most notably Ray Houghton, who scored the goal against Italy in 1994 that ensured his immortality.
But there are many others: Mick McCarthy, who went on to manage; Phil Babb, an upstanding defender; and Jason McAteer.
Alas, Harry Kane will never be on the honor roll for Ireland, but Irish people get behind him if he leads the Three Lions to World Cup glory this winter.
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*Originally published in July 2021. Updated in June 2026.
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