IRELAND lock Paul O'Connell has been confirmed as British and Irish Lions captain by coach Ian McGeechan for the upcoming tour of South Africa.

The 36-man squad will leave for the 10-match tour, which includes Tests in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg, on 24 May - a day after the Heineken Cup final.

The 29-year-old O'Connell was chosen to skipper the party ahead of Ireland's Grand Slam-winning captain Brian O'Driscoll in the race for the most prestigious job in British and Irish rugby.

There were no places for Wales captain Ryan Jones or team-mate Gavin Henson, while Scotland's Mike Blair and England's Steve Borthwick were also omitted.

British and Irish Lions squad in full:

Backs: Lee Byrne, Rob Kearney, Shane Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, Ugo Monye, Luke Fitzgerald, Tommy Bowe, Tom Shanklin, Jamie Roberts, Brian O'Driscoll, Keith Earls, Riki Flutey, Ronan O'Gara, Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips, Harry Ellis, Tomas O'Leary.

Forwards: Jamie Heaslip, Andy Powell, David Wallace, Stephen Ferris, Alan Quinlan, Joe Worsley, Martyn Williams, Alun Wyn-Jones, Paul O'Connell (capt), Donncha O'Callaghan, Simon Shaw, Nathan Hines, Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones, Andrew Sheridan, Phil Vickery, Euan Murray, Jerry Flannery, Lee Mears, Matthew Rees.

Tour fixtures:

30 May: Highveld XV; Royal Bafokeng, Rustenburg

3 June: Golden Lions; Ellis Park, Johannesburg

6 June: Cheetahs; Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein

10 June: Sharks; ABSA Park, Durban

13 June: Western Province; Newlands, Cape Town

16/17 June: Coastal XV; Port Elizabeth (Venue to be confirmed)

20 June: South Africa(first Test) ; ABSA Park, Durban

23 June: Emerging Springboks; Newlands, Cape Town

27 June: South Africa (second Test) ; Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

4 July: South Africa (third Test) ; Ellis Park, Johannesburg