Ireland name Rory Best as captain for 6 Nations
Rory Best will captain Ireland for the RBS 6 Nations with uncapped quartet CJ Stander, Stuart McCloskey, Ultan Dillane and Josh van der Flier the 35-man squad's newcomers.
Ulster skipper Best takes Ireland's captaincy from Paul O'Connell, who retired from Test rugby after the World Cup.
Munster's European Champions Cup captain Stander is eyeing a back-row berth after completing residency qualification, while powerhouse Ulster centre McCloskey boosts boss Joe Schmidt's midfield steel.
Props Cian Healy and Mike Ross and flanker Chris Henry will miss Ireland's first two fixtures, against Wales and France, but head coach Schmidt hopes the trio will return for the tournament's latter stages.
"As always there were a number of tight decisions, especially with a number of players not being available to play in recent weeks," said Schmidt.
"Stalwarts such as Mike Ross, Cian Healy and Chris Henry are all likely to return to play over the coming weeks and they, along with some of the other players not included will potentially return to the squad post these first two matches."
Healy's knee problem and Ross' hamstring complaint will prove a significant early-tournament blow as Ireland seek to retain the Six Nations crown for a third year in succession.
Fowards: Rory Best (captain), Sean Cronin, James Cronin, Ultan Dillane, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie Heaslip, Rob Herring, Mike McCarthy, Jack McGrath, Martin Moore, Sean O'Brien, Tommy O'Donnell, Rhys Ruddock, Donnacha Ryan, CJ Stander, Richardt Strauss, Devin Toner, Josh van der Flier, Nathan White.
Backs: Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald, Robbie Henshaw, Paddy Jackson, David Kearney, Rob Kearney, Ian Madigan, Kieran Marmion, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jared Payne, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Simon Zebo.