Eddie O'Sullivan has included six players who missed the autumn internationals in his 35-man Ireland squad for the upcoming Six Nations campaign.
The match 22 for the tournament opener in Cardiff on February 4th will be announced tomorrow week.
Winger Tommy Bowe returns having missed the games against South Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands with a hamstring injury.
Uncapped Munster centre Barry Murphy is among 17 selected backs as is Leinster's Rob Kearney who has shown tremendous form of late.
Kearney's team-mate Luke Fitzgerald holds his place in the squad having made his debut against the Pacific Islands.
Up front, hooker Jerry Flannery makes a timely return to the international stage having recently returned to the Munster colours after a shoulder injury.
His provincial colleague Mick O'Driscoll also earns a call-up while Leinster secondrow Trevor Hogan is selected in a Six Nations squad for the first time, although he did win two caps against Japan in 2005.
Munster backrow Alan Quinlan was not considered owing to his recent suspension for stamping while O'Sullivan was forced to overlook Ulster's Stephen Ferris who has a hand injury.
"The championship is a long and hard tournament that that will always test your resources, so I felt that we needed to increase our squad to 35 to give us some extra cover," O'Sullivan said.
"We have a good injury profile at the moment and with the return of players from injury, such as Tommy Bowe and Jerry Flannery as well as the other additions to the squad, it will push up the competition levels.
"While there are not many changes from November, the squad is always selected on form and this group reflects that".
"The Championship is our bread and butter tournament and is the one where we always want to do well in. We were pleased with how the autumn series went, but this tournament is a step up and we will have to raise our performances another level."
Ireland kick-start their Six Nations campaign away to Wales on February 4th, a match O'Sullivan has described as "one of the toughest openings you could get".
Ireland Squad:
Forwards (18):Neil Best (Belfast
Harlequins/Ulster), Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Simon
Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Simon Easterby (Llaneli), Jerry
Flannery (Shannon/Munster), Keith Gleeson (St.Mary's
College/Leinster), John Hayes (Bruff/Munster), Jamie Heaslip
(Clontarf/Leinster)
Trevor Hogan (Shannon/Leinster), Marcus Horan
(Shannon/Munster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Donncha
O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young
Munster/Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster),
Malcolm O'Kelly (St.Mary's College/Leinster), Frankie Sheahan (Cork
Constitution/Munster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster) Bryan
Young (Ballymena/Ulster)
Backs (17):Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster), Tommy
Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Girvan Dempsey (Terenure
College/Leinster), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Luke
Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster), Shane Horgan
(Lansdowne/Leinster), Denis Hickie (St.Mary's College/Leinster),
Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster), John Kelly (Cork
Constitution/Munster),
Barry Murphy (U.L. Bohemians/Munster), Geordan Murphy
(Leicester), Brian O'Driscoll (Blackrock College/Leinster), Ronan
O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Peter
Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster) Paddy
Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster).
Not considered due to injury: Stephen Ferris
(Dungannon/Ulster) {Hand}
Not considered due to suspension: Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster)
