Luke Chambers is in possession of the relevant passport and paperwork — the rest is up to Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill.
While Daryl Murphy has played his way into O’Neill’s plans and the international boss has admitted to more than a passing interest in another Portman Road candidate, David McGoldrick, so far Chambers has yet to be given the nod.
Chambers, who qualifies through his maternal grandfather from Limerick, said: "I’ve always maintained I would love to get involved with Ireland but it doesn’t look as if it is going to happen.
"I’m just happy to be playing my football here at Ipswich and enjoying my family time when the international breaks come round.
"They are watching us a lot but there is no talk about me — it’s all about McGoldrick, Murphy and even Hunty. If it comes, it comes, but it’s not something that I’m going to be begging for or shouting from the rooftops about.
"If I’m playing well enough and they want me involved, fine. I’ve been qualified for a while.”
Given his level of consistency, especially since Mick McCarthy switched him to his preferred role in the middle of the Town defence, is Chambers baffled that he has been overlooked by the Republic?
He added: "I could be baffled by a lot of things in my career. I think I’ve been good enough to play in the Premier League and I’ve not got there either. I might have too high an opinion of myself but in football people often have opinions that do baffle you.
"There are a lot of players from the Championship that are getting in the Irish squad and I think it’s going to be better for me that I’m now playing regularly at centre-half.
"That will give me a better chance — I was never going to play for them at right-back because I was never going to be that attacking, modern-day right-back.
"If you want to be solid away from home, maybe it might have been the case. I did a good job there last year but I’m not going to be outstanding there and supply assists.
"Playing for Ireland is not something that I’m begging to happen, although if it did it would be nice recognition for me, but they might be going in a different direction.”