| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dara McGuinness | ||
| Date of birth | 12 February 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Monksland, County Roscommon, Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Galway United | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Joseph's (Athlone) | |||
| –2019 | Belvedere | ||
| 2019–2020 | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| 2020–2022 | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 2022–2025 | Stoke City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | St Patrick's Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 2020 | Shamrock Rovers II | 2 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Stoke City | 0 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → Leek Town (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2025 | Finn Harps | 14 | (6) |
| 2025– | Galway United | 3 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Republic of Ireland U16 | 4 | (2) |
| 2021 | Republic of Ireland U18 | 4 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:00, 28 August 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:00, 28 August 2025 (UTC) | |||
Dara McGuinness (born 12 February 2004) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for League of Ireland Premier Division club Galway United. He previously played for St Patrick's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers II, Stoke City, Leek Town and Finn Harps.
A native of Monksland, [1] on the County Roscommon side of the outskirts of Athlone, McGuinness began playing with local club St Joseph's, where he impressed to the point of representing the Athlone District Schoolboys League at the prestigious Kennedy Cup, where he earned a move to Dublin club Belvedere and then later a move to the academy of League of Ireland club St Patrick's Athletic. [2] [3]
On 16 November 2019, McGuinness made his senior debut for St Patrick's Athletic, coming off the bench in a 4–0 win over Athlone Town at Richmond Park in the final of the 2018–19 Leinster Senior Cup in a side made up entirely of academy players. [4]
In 2020, McGuinness moved to the academy of Shamrock Rovers. [5] On 6 March 2020, he made his League of Ireland First Division debut for the club's reserve side Shamrock Rovers II in a 1–0 defeat away to Cabinteely, before making a second appearance for the side by the end of the season. [6]
On 7 July 2022, McGuinness signed for the academy of EFL Championship club Stoke City. [7] [8] On 10 September 2024, he signed for Northern Premier League Premier Division club Leek Town on loan until 4 January 2025. [9]
On 27 January 2025, McGuinness signed for League of Ireland First Division club Finn Harps. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] He made his debut for the club on 14 February 2025, in a 2–0 defeat away to Kerry. [15] On 21 February 2025, he scored his first goal in senior football, in a 3–1 loss to Treaty United at the Markets Field. [16] On 18 April 2025, he scored a brace in a 4–2 win over Kerry at Finn Park. [17] On 5 July 2025, Harps manager Kevin McHugh confirmed that McGuinness had left the club, after scoring 6 goals in 14 appearances during his time there, stating "His contract was up in June, Dara and his agent have sat down and he wants to play in the Premier Division. There are two or three clubs interested in him." [18]
On 23 July 2025, McGuinness made signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Galway United. [19] [20] He made his debut 2 days later, coming on as a half time substitute for Jeannot Esua, before scoring in the 74th minute of an eventual 4–2 loss to Waterford at Eamonn Deacy Park. [21]
McGuinness made his international debut in January 2020, featuring 4 times for the Republic of Ireland U16 side in the Aegean Cup in Turkey, scoring 2 goals in a 4–0 win over Kosovo U16 during the tournament. [2] In 2021, he featured 4 times for the Republic of Ireland U18 side, scoring once. [22]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup [a] | League Cup [b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2019 | LOI Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 [c] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Shamrock Rovers II | 2020 | LOI First Division | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Stoke City | 2024–25 | EFL Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Leek Town (loan) | 2024–25 | NPL Premier Division | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Finn Harps | 2025 | LOI First Division | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | 14 | 6 | |||
| Galway United | 2025 | LOI Premier Division | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 2 | ||
| Career Total | 23 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 8 | ||