Ciaran Kilduff: 'I'm sure Kildare has the appetite for League of Ireland football'

Not since the late 2000s have Kildare had a senior League of Ireland representative, but they seem to be on the path to ending that senior gap at the top level of Irish football.

Kildare has always had a conveyor belt of talent coming through the ranks, but since the demise of Kildare County, there was no pathway to senior football in the county.

Current League of Ireland stars Andy Lyons, Rory Feely and Daniel O’Reilly are all from Kildare. 

But none of those three had an opportunity or pathway to play senior football in their own county.

Ciaran Kilduff was similar to an extent, although he did play for Kildare County in 2008 while with his parent club Shamrock Rovers prior to their demise.

But the point stands, Kildare is a blackspot for League of Ireland football. And it probably is amplified by Maynooth University Town’s involvement in the last 16 of the FAI Cup this season

This is, of course, the third time they have reached this stage of the competition in recent years.

In 2018 they were knocked out by Cork City at Turner’s Cross, and in 2019 they were knocked out of the FAI Cup by Waterford.

But this is a sign of how far Maynooth University Town, and football in Kildare, has come. They also have an underage National League club in Klub Kildare rising through the ranks up to under-17 level.

And Maynooth University Town’s player-coach Ciaran Kilduff, who is no stranger to League of Ireland football, is hoping this FAI Cup run for Maynooth can be the start of a new era for Kildare in senior football.



“I played for Kildare County when I was younger and it was great for me to cut my teeth there,” Kilduff told extratime.com.

“Granted, I didn’t have a great year, but it was a team from Kildare and there was a progression.

I was playing there on loan from Shamrock Rovers at the time and there was an opportunity to play close to home.

“I think the foundations from Maynooth are there and the links with the college are huge. Barry [Prenderville] has been doing some great work over the years. The facilities are second to none.

“To be honest, the facilities are better than some League of Ireland teams. The template and foundations are there, and I think being as competitive as we have been over the last couple of years is huge.

“When you see Maynooth University Town beside the likes of Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians in the FAI Cup, it’s great. And the longer we do that people will sit up and take notice.”



Due to issues surrounding club licensing, Maynooth University Town were unable to apply for a First Division license for the 2021 season.

extratime.com understands that the club explored the option of joining the League of Ireland when the FAI invited expressions of interest to join the senior ranks.

But their lack of stadium facilities put pay to that ambition, for now at least.

The club, however, are going from strength to strength. And Kilduff is hoping that the club’s continued success can whet the appetite even more for League of Ireland football in the county.

“I’m local and there are a lot of ex League of Ireland footballers and professionals who would love to see Kildare represented in the League of Ireland,” he adds.

“A lot of towns and cities are represented by League of Ireland clubs and its great for the surrounding areas.

“It wouldn’t be necessarily a team from Maynooth, it would be a team representative of the county.

“There’s such a huge population here in Kildare as there is a love for football. You see the kids grow up and they all dream of playing football when they’re older.

“To give them something to aim for locally would do a lot for the county. I’m sure Kildare has the appetite for League of Ireland football, and I’m sure other counties feel the same, but we are just lucky that we have a team that are competitive.

“I remember when I was playing, I had great interest when Maynooth went down to Cork or played against Waterford. It shouldn’t be a one-off for them.”

Tonight, Maynooth will be looking to reach the last eight of the FAI Cup for the first time in their history.

And should they do it, the appetite for senior football to return in Kildare will no doubt increase.

“We’re playing a team in Cobh now and we don’t feel there is any inferiority between us,” Kilduff explains.

“We’re quietly confident about what we can do, and it is going to be a close game and we’ll be hoping to win.

“But they have a League of Ireland club, and we don’t. All that is separating us is titles really and that goes for a lot of teams like us around the country.

“I’ve seen the likes of Malahide and St Mochta’s in our league and they are very competitive and talented.

“There’s not much in it, it’s only the licensing that is the difference. I don’t think it should be unrealistic for us and other teams to think [we can get into the League of Ireland].”

He adds: “We’re respecting Cobh but we’re also confident about how good we can be when things are right.

“We’re just going to have a go. They’re probably the favourites but that’s just how the tie looks like on paper.

“It’s not a free hit for us because we put anticipation and expectations on ourselves, but it is a good tie for us right now.

“It’s a great opportunity for the club and one that the lads were looking at for the last six weeks and saying it’s a week closer. And now it’s here.

“If it’s a tight game hopefully we can come out on the right side of it because the lads and the club deserve it.”

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