St Mirren and the land of Saints and Scholars

Yes I know it’s the second of January and there’s been League of Ireland stories about St Mirren already this year but please bear with me, this one’s a bit different- no transfer speculation here!

So, as you all know, St Mirren were founded in the late 1800s, helped to found the league in Scotland and won the Scottish League Cup on St Patrick’s Day 2013 with a trio of Irishmen on board.

At right back was former Tolka Rovers defender David van Zanten, alongside him was Waterford’s Jim Goodwin and Dubliner Graham Carey was sprung from the bench with ten minutes to go as the Stirling based outfit hung on for a 3-2 victory against Edinburgh giants Hearts. Incidentally, Scotland and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn was the man who made way for Carey’s introduction.

In the dozen years since then there's been a consistent trail of Irishmen heading to Paisley and now there's a distinctly Irish flavour to their squad- last weekend they beat Rangers 2-1 with both goals coming from players from Northern Ireland, a pair of former League of Ireland midfielders in the centre of the pitch and an ex Sligo Rovers loanee appearing as a substitute.

In fact, of the 16 players used in the game, four had played in the League of Ireland. Their last victory over Rangers came in December 2020 with both goalscorers being former League of Ireland players, another was on the wing while  a Cavanman and a Galwegian were also part of the starting XI.

With that in mind, let's take a quick look at those with Irish connections who have worn the St Mirren shirt with pride over the past few years.

Current Aberdeen midfielder and Republic of Ireland international Jamie McGrath landed at the club in a double deal with ex Cork City central defender Conor McCarthy- now at Barnsley. Both scored in the aforementioned December 2020 victory over Rangers.

The manager who brought them over in January 2020? That man Goodwin again - after over 150 playing appearances for the club in five seasons, he left in 2016. He returned as manager in June 2019, taking over from Northern Irishman Oran Kearney- who had left NIPL side Coleraine. 

In fact, one of Goodwin’s first signings in the summer of 2019 was the loan of Seán McLaughlin from Hull City. The former Cork City centre half had to return to Humberside at the end of December and his time at the club with former City teammate McCarthy never overlapped.

However, ex Republic of Ireland underage international Sam Foley was another arrival in the summer of 2019 and stayed at the club until January 2021.

Six months after the double arrival of Meathman McGrath and Corkman McCarthy it was Galwegian defender Joe Shaughnessy who was next to come to the club and stay until the summer of 2023.

Making sure that Athboy native McGrath wasn't the only ex Lilywhite Royal at St Mirren, his former Dundalk teammate Dylan Connolly arrived at the club for the 2020/21 season. A few months into the campaign, free agent and Cavan man Jake Doyle-Hayes linked up with St Mirren and spent the rest of the campaign in the SPL with the Buddies.

Despite Foley, Connolly and Doyle-Hayes departing in the summer of 2021, the quota of Irishmen remained intact as Dubliner Alan Power joined after four years with Aberdeen. Alongside him were former underage internationals Charles Dunne and Connor Ronan- the latter on loan from Wolves.

With Goodwin leaving to manage Aberdeen in February 2022 - to be replaced by ex Northern Irish international Stephen Robinson from Lisburn- that summer saw a slight difference with a League of Ireland flavour and some recruits from Northern Ireland. Experienced NI international goalkeeper Trevor Carson arrived from Dundee United  while Belfast man Caolan Boyd- Munce, who played for Glentoran ahead of  a switch to the UK previously in his career, also arrived. 

Ex Sligo Rovers and Galway United loanee striker Jonah Ayunga joined Robinson’s men in the summer of 2022, six months after McGrath’s departure to Wigan Athletic in the January transfer window.

The January 2023 window saw the Waterford link re-established with English defender Richard Taylor heading to Paisley after his Blues contract expired. 

However, the League of Ireland wasn’t the only competition on this island to lose players to St Mirren with electric winger Conor McMenamin leaving Glentoran to join The Buddies ahead of the 2023/24 year. Shaugnessy and Carson left for Dundee in a double swoop the same summer.

Twelve months later and former Dungannon Swifts midfielder Oisin Smyth arrived from Oxford United- his name may ring a bell for a couple of reasons. Most recently, he scored in St Mirren’s win over Rangers on St Stephen’s Day while his uncle is former Manchester United player and ex Northern Ireland international Pat McGibbon.

In the same window, Shrewsbury Town were raided for another dynamic midfielder as former Waterford FC and Bohemians midfielder Roland Idowu came north of the border on a loan deal. Ex of the Drogheda United engine room, Killian Phillips also took the same route from Premier League outfit Crystal Palace.

With the established links between both the League of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Premier League, St Mirren also saw a couple of players depart for these shores in the summer of 2024. New Zealand international Alex Greive joined Bohemians in the League of Ireland while Scottish Under 21 international Kieran Offord is currently on loan in the NIPL with Crusaders where he’s rattled in 10 goals already. 

Speaking of goalscorers, former Waterford FC Academy player Owen Oseni found the net 12 times for National League side Gateshead since a summer move from The Blues. Such prolific form has earned the 21 year old a long term deal with St Mirren and he made his debut a day after being announced.

Seeing as we’re looking at League of Ireland links, former Northern Ireland international Neil Lennon’s son Gallagher is currently on loan from the St Mirren Academy to Annan Athletic where former Galway United goalkeeper Greg Fleming is the goalkeeping coach.

So, text time you’re casting an eye on the SPL table keep an eye out for St Mirren- there’s a fair chance you’ll see someone you know!

[image or embed]

— extratime.com (@extratime.com) 2 January 2025 at 17:48