Darragh Markey (born 23 May 1997) is an Irish professional footballer playing for

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

club,

Drogheda United Drogheda United Football Club is a professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches at Sullivan & Lambe Park. The current club is the ...

, having previously spent six seasons with

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...

, the club he started his professional career with.

Club career

Youth career

Markey played his youth football with Cherry Orchard, winning the Under 17 FAI

Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are sold in over 100 c ...

Cup with a 5–2 win over Leeds AFC in the final at Turners Cross on 3 May 2014. At the

Ballyfermot Ballyfermot () is a suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located west of the city centre, south of Phoenix Park. It is bordered by Chapelizod on the north, by Bluebell, Dublin, Bluebell on the south, by Inchicore on the east, ...

club Markey played alongside future

League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...

players Max Kouogun, Josh Collins and

Derek Daly Derek Patrick Daly (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish former racing driver, businessman and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Dublin, Daly won the British Formula Three Championship in 1977, before partici ...

among others. Markey's form for the Orchard attracted interest from

, who signed him for their under 19's side ahead of the 2014–15 season. This turned out to be a terrific season for both Markey as he won the league's Player of the Season award and also for the team as they won the Under 19 SSE Airtricity League with a 3–2 win over Derry City under 19's in the final at

Maginn Park Maginn Park is a football stadium in Buncrana, County Donegal, Ireland. It is used by the amateur Inishowen Football League for staging cup finals and other important matches. During the 2017 League of Ireland season, the ground served as the ...

. The team included several players that broke through to the St. Pat's first team and beyond in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

and

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

s, including Jamie McGrath, Rory Feely, Jack Bayly, Fuad Sule and Paul Rooney.

St Patrick's Athletic

2015 season

Ahead of the

senior team's 2015 season, Markey was called up to the first team for the season, given the number 21 shirt, he would also remain with the under 19's while still eligible. He made his first team debut on 9 February 2015, aged just 17 years old, when he came off the bench in a 7–0 win at home to Tolka Rovers in the Leinster Senior Cup. Markey made late substitute appearances in the

President's Cup The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world except Europe as that continent competes against the United States in a similar but ...

away to

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

and the first game of the

2015 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2015 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 31st season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. Dundalk were champions and Cork City finished as runners-up. Teams Stadia and locations Personnel and kits Note: Flags indicate na ...

season away to

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...

, his first Dublin Derby. Markey went on to make a further 5 appearances in the first team that season.

2016 season

In January 2016, Markey went on trial with

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...

champions

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

, scoring in a trial game vs

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

. Nothing came of the move as Markey decided to take up the scholarship offer between St Pat's and

NUI Maynooth Maynooth University (MU) (), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. Maynooth University was formerly known as National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ). It was Ireland ...

, taking up a degree in finance at the college. To secure the degree, Markey would have to get the necessary points on his Leaving Cert, which he sat in June 2016. With the importance of his studies having to come before his football, the first half of 2016 turned out to be less productive for Markey as he made 7 league appearances and two league cup appearances that season (all 9 coming on from the substitutes bench) as Pat's won the 2016 League Cup.

2017 season

Markey changed squad number to the number 14 ahead of the 2017 season. On 17 April Markey made his first start for the first team in a win over

Bray Wanderers Bray Wanderers Football Club are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''Bray Wanderers A.F.C.'' It was elect ...

in the League Cup. He then made his first league start 4 days later against

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...

. His performances in these games stood out and earned him plaudits from fans, pundits and most importantly manager

Liam Buckley Liam Buckley (born 14 April 1960), is an Irish former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made two appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team. Playing career Buckley began his League of Ireland career wi ...

, who kept him in the starting 11. He was nominated for the

League of Ireland Premier Division Player of the Month The League of Ireland Player of the Month is awarded monthly to the best player in the League of Ireland. The winners are selected by Soccer Writers' Ireland, commonly known as the SWI (formerly known as Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland). Wi ...

for May 2017 but just lost out to Ryan Delaney. He went on to make a total of 18 league appearances, 22 in all competitions and his form in those games saw him voted as

Young Player of the Year by the club's fans.

2018 season

Markey's shirt number changed again to number 15 ahead of the 2018 season. He started the season out of the starting 11, having to come off the bench in the first few games but regained his spot in the

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

role in the 0–0 draw with

. He scored his first senior goal on 15 May 2018 in a 5–2 win over Derry City at

. His next goal came on 10 August when he opened the scoring in a 5–0 win over Inchicore Athletic in the FAI Cup first round. The season proved to be a disappointment for his side as they missed out on

European football UEFA competitions (), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur association football and futsal. T ...

once again, which saw the departure of

as manager. On a personal level for Markey however, the season was another big step in his development, making 36 appearances and scoring 2 goals.

2019 season

Following on from a full season as a regular starter, Markey was given the number 8 shirt for the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

. Markey had to wait until 15 March 2019 for his first appearance of the season under new manager Harry Kenny, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 loss away to

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

. He had to wait a month for his next appearance, making his first start of the season in a 1–1 draw away to

. From then on he remained a mainstay in the team and on 17 May he scored his first goal of the season, opening the scoring in the Dublin derby against

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

with a looping header over James Talbot in the 40th minute. Markey saw his first taste of

when he came off the bench away to

IFK Norrköping Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Norrköping, more commonly known as IFK Norrköping or simply Norrköping, is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Norrköping. The club is affiliated to Östergötlands Fotbollför ...

of Sweden in a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

Qualifier, assisting Conor Clifford's goal in a 2–1 loss for Pat's. With the side struggling in front of goal, manager Harry Kenny was replaced by Stephen O'Donnell following a shock cup exit to UCD in late August and in

O'Donnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of medieval and early modern Ireland. Naming ...

's first match, Markey scored in a 2–1 win away to

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...

on 6 September 2019. He finished the season with 30 appearances and 2 goals in all competitions.

2020 season

The 2020 season was a difficult one for Markey as the league season was halved due to the

Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

which also saw the League Cup and Leinster Senior Cup abandoned. As a result of this, Markey struggled for game time, playing in 11 of the club's 19 league and cup games, starting just 3 of them as his side finished in 6th place, missing out on European football on the final day of the season. Markey left the club at the end of the season, having made 116 appearances and scoring 4 goals for the Saints.

Drogheda United

2021 season

On 29 November 2020, Markey signed for newly promoted

ahead of the

2021 season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. He made his debut in the opening game of the season, a 1–0 win at home to

on 19 March 2021. His first goal for the club came on 8 May, opening the scoring in a 7–0 win away to Waterford at the

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

as the home side fielded their under-19 squad due to a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

outbreak in the first team squad. Markey scored the second goal in a 3-1 home victory against

on 2 July, and netted again on the penultimate day of the season at home against

Longford Town Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of I ...

. He finished the season with 3 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions as his side finished in a respectable 7th place.

2022 season

On 10 December 2021, Markey signed a new contract with the club for the 2022 season. On 14 March 2022, he sustained a broken foot in a 2–0 defeat to Derry City at the

Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium () is a municipal football stadium in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C., (temporarily) NIFL Championship team Institute, and also to NIWFA Championshi ...

on just his 5th appearance of the season, with the injury requiring surgery. Markey scored his first goal of the season on 29 July 2022 in a 5–1 win over

Athlone Town Athlone Town Association Football Club is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they play t ...

in the

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

. He had to wait until the final day of the season for his first league goal of the year, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over relegated

on 6 November 2022. Markey finished his second season at the club with 2 goals in 26 appearances in all competitions.

2023 season

On 9 December 2022 Markey signed a new deal with Drogheda for the 2023 season despite reported interest from

. On 10 February, he scored a brace against

which saw Drogheda advance to the quarter finals of the Leinster Senior Cup. On 9 June, he scored the winning goal in injury time in a 2-1 league victory over his former club St. Patrick's Athletic. Markey played in 33 of Drogheda's 36 league games, as the club avoided relegation and climbed up to 7th place. On 10 December 2023, he signed a new contract with the club.

International career

Markey played for the Republic of Ireland U17 and Republic of Ireland U18 team as well as the Republic of Ireland schools team, which he was called up to for his performances for his school, Coláiste Phádraig in

Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November AD 39 – 30 April AD 65), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba, Hispania Baetica (present-day Córdoba, Spain). He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imper ...

. He was nominated for the FAI School's International Player of the Year in March 2016 but lost out to Connor Ellis.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

St Patrick's Athletic *

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup, also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', was an annual knockout competition in men's football in Ireland. It was contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited clubs from the lower levels of the Irish footb ...

(2):

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

* Leinster Senior Cup (1):

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Drogheda United *

(1):

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Individual

* League of Ireland Player of the Month (2): November 2024, March 2025

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Markey, Darragh 1997 births Living people Alumni of Maynooth University Association footballers from County Dublin Association footballers from Dublin (city) Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Cherry Orchard F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Drogheda United F.C. players League of Ireland players Men's association football midfielders Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers 21st-century Irish sportsmen People from Lucan, Dublin