Sunday, January 5
Athlone Town have made a major statement of their intent to challenge for promotion next season with the signing of Scottish winger Declan McDaid from Bohemians.
The former Dundee player spent three seasons with the Gypsies but McDaid was included in an end-of-season clearout after a disastrous 2024 campaign for the club, McDaid now the 10th player to leave Bohs in the off-season.
Athlone have been busy in the transfer market as McDaid joins Dean Williams (Shelbourne), JR Wilson (Sligo Rovers) and Matt Connor (Waterford) in dropping down a division with also the capture of Cole Omorehiomwan (Bray), Bastien Hery, Kyle O’Connor and Adam Wixted (Longford) and Noe Baba (Finn Harps).
Athlone finished fourth in the Division One table last term but lost out to Bray Wanderers in a promotion playoff.
Saturday, January 4
Former Shelbourne striker Aidan O’Brien has joined English fifth-tier side Woking.
The ex-Ireland and Millwall striker O’Brien (31) joined Damien Duff’s Reds last August and was part of the league-winning squad, scoring twice in ten games for the club.
The return from injury of Seán Boyd reduced O’Brien’s playing time in the latter part of the season and the December signing of Mipo Odubeko saw O’Brien surplus to requirements at Tolka Park.
Friday, January 3
Shamrock Rovers have suffered a pre-season blow with news that Neil Farrugia has joined Barnsley on a free transfer.
The 25-year-old’s contract with the Hoops expired at the end of the season and he has agreed to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Tykes, who are currently sixth in League One.
Paris-born Farrugia joined Rovers from UCD back in 2019 and although his career has been plagued by injuries, he leaves having won four Premier Division titles in a row as well as the FAI Cup in 2019.
Thursday, January 2
Seán Hoare has returned to St Patrick’s Athletic.
The 30-year-old central defender, who has won titles with Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers, returns to the club where he made his League of Ireland debut in 2012.
The Dubliner has won six Premier Division titles (one with St Pat’s, two with Dundalk and three with Shamrock Rovers), three FAI Cups (one with St Pat’s, two with Dundalk) and four League Cups in an illustrious career so far.
