Daniel Whelan gets a win in his first game in the NFL, a first for an Irishman in 38 years

DANIEL Whelan has circled the Irish and US media in recent weeks after being named in the Green Bay Packers' 52-man roster for the 2023 season.

The next chapter in his story began last night when he was the punter for Green Bay in their 38-20 win against the Chicago Bears.

Whelan, from Enniskerry, Wexford, achieved a feat last night that hasn't been done since Neil O'Donoghue in 1985.

He finished the night with five punts (one of those landing inside the Bears' 20-yard line), averaging 38.6 yards per punt and a game-best of 68 yards.

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Whelan wasn't the only Irish punter playing in the states this weekend, as Ross Bolger was in action for the Idaho State Bengals College football team on Saturday night.

The Laois man punted seven times for 283 yards and an average of just over 40 yards per punt against the Utah State Aggies, with his best effort going 49 yards.

It's fair to say that there is a great Irish presence in America Football at both college and professional level and this could lay the ground work for future Irish athletes to take the US by storm.