Jim Crawford tried to get him on board with Ireland u21s nearly 3 years ago and he took a call up to the NI senior squad instead.
That's my point. Northern Ireland's policy is clever. Wales too.
They offer senior caps to 17/18 years old who have often never played at senior level. That's difficult to turn down. Your stock immediately goes up.
Ireland needed to offer him a senior cap. Not an U21 one.
The FAI are often slack with regards to the eligibility of players. They don't have an active presence up North. They often wait for players to approach them. I know of a player's uncle who had to make them aware of his nephew's eligibility.
It was missed opportunity by Ireland. You can't let players with his background slip through the net.