Dan Sheehan will captain a Lions team that contains eight Irish internationals for Saturday's opening fixture on Australian soil against Western Force in Perth (11am Irish time).
Head coach Andy Farrell has drawn heavily on his Irish contingent, with three further Ireland players named among the replacements.
Tour captain Maro Itoje will not feature this weekend, so Sheehan will lead the team out at Optus Stadium.
The 26-year-old Leinster hooker skippered Ireland for the first time in March in the Six Nations victory over Wales.
Fellow Irish internationals Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier will also make their Lions debuts, while Munster’s Tadhg Beirne is one of only two survivors from the defeat to Argentina last Friday and starts at blindside flanker.
Tadhg Furlong comes into the front row alongside Sheehan and Pierre Schoeman.
McCarthy is joined in the second row by Scotland’s Scott Cummings, while Henry Pollock joins Beirne and Van der Flier in the backrow.
Farrell has opted for Scotland's Finn Russell and Welsh international Tomos Williams as his half-back pairing.
Mack Hansen, who came on against the Pumas last week, starts on the right wing, with Lowe on the opposite side.
Ringrose will be partnered by Sione Tuipulotu in midfield, with England’s Elliot Daly taking the full-back position.
Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter and Jack Conan are among the eight replacements.
Farrell says the players are itching to get going on Australian soil.
"We have had a good week of training and all of the travel and time zone changes have been managed really well, so we are good to go," he said.
"Dan Sheehan gets the opportunity to lead the side against Western Force, which is a great honour for him and his family.
"We know the quality and experience the Force have and the opportunity to play against the Lions always brings out special performances from the Super Rugby sides, so we expect them to be at their best."
On the 2013 Tour, the Lions ran out 69-17 winners at the Subiaco Oval. Current assistant coach Johnny Sexton got the Lions off the mark with an early try while Leigh Halfpenny converted all nine Lions tries.
Veteran full-back Kurtley Beale - pictured below - has been ruled out of Saturday's game, but Western Force have named 11 Wallabies in their starting line-up including six current members of Joe Schmidt's squad.
Beale, who was part of the Wallabies side for the 2013 Lions tour, misses out with a hamstring complaint, but will see action later in the series as the 36-year-old has been selected to lead the First Nations & Pasifika XV against Farrell’s side in four week’s time.
Force have replaced Beale with Ben Donaldson, who came off the bench for the Wallabies in their victories over England and Wales last autumn.
Prop Tom Robertson, lock Darcy Swain, back-row Nick Champion de Crespigny, captain Nic White, Donaldson and wing Dylan Pietsch are the current Wallabies who will face the Lions.
Force are attempting to beat the tourists for the first time.
Lions: Elliot Daly; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Sione Tuipulotu, James Lowe; Finn Russell, Tomos Williams; Pierre Schoeman, Dan Sheehan (captain), Tadgh Furlong; Scott Cummings, Joe McCarthy; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Henry Pollock.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Jack Conan, Alex Mitchell, Huw Jones, Marcus Smith.
Western Force: Ben Donaldson; Mac Grealy, Matt Proctor, Hamish Stewart, Dylan Pietsch; Alex Harford, Nic White (captain); Tom Robertson, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Ollie Hoskins; Sam Carter, Darcy Swain; Will Harris, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Vaiolini Ekuasi.
Replacements: Nic Dolly, Marley Pearce, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Reed Prinsep, Henry Robertson, Max Burey, Bayley Kuenzle.
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
