Ireland have named the injured Dan Sheehan and James Lowe in their squad for the Six Nations.
The duo have been carrying injuries, but Ireland are optimistic they will be fit in time to face England in their championship opener on Feb. 1.
Hooker Sheehan has been out since injuring his ACL against South Africa in July, while Lowe injured his calf in Ireland's last match of the autumn series against Australia on Nov. 30.
Both could feature for Leinster in their Champions Cup match against Bath on Saturday, and are expected to join up with the Ireland squad for their pre-tournament training camp in Portugal.
With Andy Farrell on British & Irish Lions duty, Simon Easterby will coach Ireland into the championship and he has named just one uncapped player in the 36-player squad with Leinster's Jack Boyle getting the nod.
He's also included four development players: Leinster's Hugh Cooney, Ulster back-row James McNabney and Connacht duo Ben Murphy and Cathal Forde.
"The Six Nations is one of the most keenly contested competitions in the global calendar and there's great excitement across the playing group and coaching team for this year's tournament," Easterby said.
"Personally I'm hugely excited to work with a talented group and speaking to the players you can sense that they are up for the challenge.
"One of the highlights from the recent Autumn Nations Series was the emergence of a number of new internationals in Thomas Clarkson, Cormac Izuchukwu, Gus McCarthy and Sam Prendergast.
"We are also delighted to welcome back a number of players who were unavailable for the recent Autumn Nations Series and their return will further boost competition levels across the panel.
"While there is a good sense of continuity in selection, having those players back massively increases our competitiveness. It's also a great opportunity for three young development players -- James, Ben and Cathal -- to continue their recent good run of form for their Provinces and continue their development.
"The thing about the Six Nations is that you have to hit the ground running and there's no room for building or easing your way into competition.
"Every match counts and facing England at home in the first round sharpens everyone's mind to what will be a big task ahead."
Ireland squad
Forwards:
Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Boyle, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Cormac Izuchukwu, Rónan Kelleher, Gus McCarthy, Joe McCarthy, Peter O'Mahony, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier.
Backs:
Bundee Aki, Caolin Blade, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawle, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose.