Former Armagh ace Jamie Clarke is set to become the latest GAA star to try and make it in the Irish League this weekend.
The Crossmaglen man looks poised to make his debut for Newry City against champions Linfield at the Newry Showgrounds on Sunday.
Clarke will also feature for Cross in the coming weeks as they bid to regain the Gerry Fegan Cup having lost the last two finals and it remains to be seen if he’ll be part of Kieran McGeeney’s plans for 2023.
Read more: Down GAA chiefs set to investigate mass brawl at Division One League final
A number of high-profile GAA stars have tried to juggle Gaelic and soccer with varying degrees of success over the years, while others have had to pick one over the other.
We look at 10 GAA stars who have made their mark in the Irish League in recent years. . .
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Getting the best players out to represent Antrim has been a challenge for various managers down through the years, but not having Matthew Fitzpatrick has been a huge blow to the Saffrons.
The St John’s ace won a Sigerson Cup title with St Mary’s back in 2017 and was a key player for Antrim under managers Frank Fitzsimmons and Gearoid Adams.
However, a move to the Irish League was soon on the cards when he turned in a series of impressive performances for West Belfast Intermediate side Belfast Celtic.
After months of speculation, Coleraine announced in November of 2019 that Fitzpatrick had signed a pre-contract agreement with the Bannsiders.
Things didn’t go according to plan at Coleraine, but Fitzpatrick is now thriving at Glenavon and signed a new three-year deal with the Lurgan Blues last year.
Eoin Bradley
The Bradley family have been associated with Derry and Antrim GAA for the last two decades. Eoin and Paddy were key attackers for the Oak Leaf County in the noughties while father Liam managed Antrim on two separate occasions.
Eoin and Paddy were part of the Derry team that defeated Kerry to clinch the Division One League title in 2008. Both suffered injuries which ruled them out of Derry’s Ulster SFC final clash with Donegal in 2011.
With his inter-county career with Derry seemingly at an end, Eoin Bradley turned his attention to football and linked up with Ballymoney United in 2013 before moving to Coleraine.
Bradley won an Irish Cup with Glenavon the following year and returned to the Showgrounds after three seasons with the Lurgan Blues.
He remained an integral part of the Coleraine side for several years and won a second Irish Cup medal in 2018. He was released by Oran Kearney at the end of last season and has returned to Glenavon for the new campaign.
Sean O’Neill
While he has since moved to Ballymena for a second stint at the Showgrounds, Sean O’Neill made almost 250 appearances in a hugely successful spell with Crusaders.
The veteran goalkeeper won three Irish Premiership titles with the North Belfast side as well as an Irish Cup (2019), a League Cup (2012) and a Setanta Cup (2012).
The West Belfast man also represented Northern Ireland at underage level. Although he was at the Crues for over 10 years, he wasn’t always first-choice ’keeper and he was able to link up with the Antrim senior football squad at different times in his career.
He was the first choice goalkeeper under Liam Bradley in 2011, but focused on his career with Crusaders for several years until being recalled to the Antrim squad again in 2016.
O’Neill has also turned his hand to management in recent years - taking charge of his native Michael Davitt’s club for their 2021 campaign.
Niall Morgan
At 31, Niall Morgan is one of the top Gaelic football goalkeepers in Ireland and won the Sam Maguire with Tyrone last season. He was rewarded with a prestigious All-Star award for his contribution during a remarkable Championship campaign for the Red Hands.
Indeed, one of the highlights of the 2021 season was Morgan’s stunning long-range free before half-time in their semi-final win over Kerry in Croke Park.
One can only wonder how his Irish League career would have progressed had he not made it on to Mickey Harte’s Tyrone panel.
A native of Edendork on the outskirts of Dungannon, Morgan played for the Swifts for four seasons between 2010 and 2013.
For the last decade he has been Tyrone’s first-choice goalkeeper and also won Ulster titles in 2016, 2017 and 2021.
In 2018, he was given permission by the-then Tyrone boss Harte to line out for Dungannon in a League Cup semi-final tie against Linfield as the Swifts had an injury crisis among their goalkeepers.
Shane McCabe
Most dual players have tended to focus on one code or the other in recent times, but Shane McCabe broke the mould in many regards.
While he was playing Irish League football, he was a key member of the Fermanagh senior football panel.
After spells with Dungannon, Ballinamallard and Glenavon, McCabe signed for Glentoran and was a member of the squad that lifted the Gibson Cup in the 2008-09 season.
It was during that time that McCabe was forced to take a hiatus from the Erne County. McCabe famously lined out for Fermanagh in the 2008 Ulster final against Armagh, but missed the replay as Glentoran were playing in the UEFA Cup.
He also played for Portadown before returning to Glenavon and, more recently he has cut his teeth in GAA management.
Having formed part of former Fermanagh manager Ryan McMenamin’s backroom team, he now manages Cavan senior outfit Mullahoran.
Ryan McCluskey
Currently assisting the aforementioned McCabe at Mullahoran, Ryan McCluskey was also part of Kieran Donnelly’s backroom team with Fermanagh this season.
He has since stepped down from his coaching commitments with the Ernemen and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be involved in any other county set-up for next season.
As a player, McCluskey togged out for Fermanagh for almost two decades and was the long-serving inter-county player in the GAA at the time of his retirement in 2018.
McCluskey helped Fermanagh reach the All-Ireland SFC semi-finals in 2004 and the provincial final in both 2008 and 2018.
Like his colleague, McCluskey was equally talented on the soccer pitch and he played for a few of the same clubs as McCabe.
He had spells at Cliftonville and Sligo Rovers and played for Dungannon in the 2007 Irish Cup final when the Swifts lost out to Linfield in a penalty shoot-out.
Just over a year later, he switched to Portadown before committing to Fermanagh solely from the 2012 season when Tyrone legend Peter Canavan was appointed manager.
Colm McCullagh
It is never easy breaking into any inter-county team, let alone one of the top teams in the land, but Colm McCullagh’s pace, vision and skill made him a key player for Tyrone.
The Dromore player came on to Mickey Harte’s radar before the Red Hands won their first All-Ireland title in 2003.
At that time, McCullagh was captain of Omagh Town, but he made his senior bow for Tyrone in the 2004 McKenna Cup.
In 2005, McCullagh was a part of the All-Ireland winning squad while Omagh Town FC folded. McCullagh’s Tyrone career stalled due to a number of injuries and he returned to the Irish League with Newry City in 2006.
He finally made the breakthrough into the starting team with Tyrone in the 2008 season and helped Harte’s side win the Sam Maguire for the third time in six seasons.
McCullagh also managed his native Dromore to a Tyrone SFC title last season.
Ryan Henderson
Like so many of the players listed, Ryan Henderson’s commitment to two sports was admirable.
Henderson once played 90 minutes for Linfield, lay down in the backseat of a car and was driven to Armagh to line out in a League game for the Orchard County.
The Lurgan man took a while to break into the Armagh team, but he did so in fine style by scoring four goals and three points in a 2009 league game against Wexford.
However, he turned his considerable talents to the Irish League the following year when he signed for Donegal Celtic.
His goal-scoring exploits from midfield meant he was soon on the radar of several top local sides and he opted to sign for the Blues in 2012, but his appearances at Windsor Park were limited due to a series of injuries.
Henderson still plays Gaelic football for Clann Éireann and helped his club win the Armagh SFC title last season.
Brian Neeson
GAA fans will know Brian ‘Bam’ Neeson as a lively inside forward for Antrim and St John’s. However, he is probably more renowned for his exploits as a goalkeeper in the Irish League.
For a number of years, Neeson juggled both codes - playing for Carrick Rangers on a Saturday and lining out for Antrim on a Sunday.
Neeson scored a stunning goal for the Saffrons in their 2014 Ulster SFC win over Fermanagh in Brewster Park and finished that game with 1-6 to his credit.
However, when he secured a move to Cliftonville, Neeson’s inter-county career was put on hold and he didn’t feature for Antrim again. After a spell at Ards, Neeson is currently playing with Premier Intermediate side Ballymacash Rangers.
Emmett McGuckin
Derry’s remarkable 2022 Championship season didn’t come about by chance. Several players put their shoulder to the wheel during the lean years for the Oak Leafers.
Emmett McGuckin featured for Derry in the 2014 Division One final defeat to Derry, but their decline was both surprising and swift.
In 2019, Derry were playing in Division Four, but McGuckin was on the verge of a switch to the Irish League after impressing for Championship side Dergview.
Oran Kearney signed the Magherafelt native on a two-year deal - indeed he was Kearney’s first signing when the manager rejoined the Bannsiders himself following a year in charge of St Mirren.
McGuckin won a League Cup during his time at the Showgrounds and he briefly returned to Dergview before linking up with Carrick Rangers last season.
In 2019, he turned in a Man-of-the-Match in the Derry SFC final as Magherafelt ended a 41-year wait to lift the John McLaughlin Cup at the expense of Glen.
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