James Dunne (3 September 1905 – 14 November 1949) was an Irish footballer who played for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Southampton.

He was a fringe member of the great Arsenal side of the 1930s before spending a season at Southampton and then finishing his career at Shamrock Rovers.

He subsequently joined Shamrock Rovers and played a number of games for the club's senior team.

Dunne joined New Brighton in November 1925 and made an instant impact, scoring six goals in eight league games.

He made his first team debut in a 4–0 home win against Arsenal on 4 September 1926 but he struggled to hold a regular place and in his first three seasons played just eleven league games.

Dunne had to wait three years before he became an established member of the United team and at one stage, they put him on the transfer list.

However, the arrival of Ted Drake in the summer of 1934 saw Dunne lose his place in the Arsenal first team, and he would only play another 8 games over the next two seasons.

Dunne was dubbed "the most expensive reserve player in English football" in the press, although his Arsenal colleagues clearly recognised his talents, with Cliff Bastin remarking he was "one of the best five centre forwards I had ever seen".

[6] At the end of the season, Dunne turned down the opportunity to renew his contract at Southampton and opted to return to Shamrock Rovers.

[1] Eighteen months after leaving the club, Dunne was given a rousing salute by Southampton dockers as he passed through the port with the Ireland team.

[7][8] When Dunne began his international career in 1928 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations.

Norway, who won the game 3–2, later complained that Dunne was ineligible, having played for the IFA XI, who were not members of FIFA.

He scored his last goal for the FAI XI in a 3–2 win over Poland on 13 November 1938 and made his final appearance against Germany on 23 May 1939.