WHILE CAOIMHÍN Kelleher was impressing for Ireland against Hungary and Armenia over the past few days, his brother Fiacre was getting ready for Cork City’s FAI Cup quarter-final.
Both are impressive figures in their own way and have had to show similar levels of resilience to get to where they are.
Just like Caoimhín at Liverpool, Fiacre started his career at a big club with a sizeable following in Ireland.
However, unlike Caoimhín, Fiacre never made the first-team breakthrough.
The young defender began playing at Avondale in his native Cork, but got scouted by Celtic when he was playing with Ireland at underage level.
Kelleher admits now that he wasn’t at the level required to make it at the Bhoys.
“Those lads [who made it] just had whatever it is, I just didn’t have that final bit that you could say: ‘Yeah, I’m good enough to play centre half at Celtic.’ And unfortunately, that’s the case for a lot of boys who go over [from Ireland]. But I gave it a good go, and to be fair, I’ve just done well to make a career out of it, from leaving there, then as well.”
The people he worked with at Celtic, he adds, have helped Kelleher “maximise” his potential.
The Corkonian also attracted interest elsewhere before agreeing to join the Parkhead outfit.
It was around this time that he first encountered Ger Nash, who now manages Kelleher at Cork City. He was coaching the underage side at Ipswich Town, where the youngster went on trial with the Tractor Boys.
“He was an Irish coach over in England, and he was very enthusiastic to help the Irish boys. So I remember meeting him. I remember him being a good coach. I think he took one or two games that I played over there. Ipswich wasn’t the club that I wanted to go to, but he always had a lasting impression on me. So when he got in contact [about joining Cork], we weren’t starting from an unknown basis. We had vague memories of each other.”
A 20-year-old Kelleher got his first taste of senior football in a loan spell with Peterhead in Scottish League One, making 19 appearances.
“At the time, it was probably the last thing I wanted to do, but you’d always be grateful for any games that you play at any level,” he says.
In the summer of 2017, Kelleher left Celtic permanently to sign for Oxford.
But once again, it was a frustrating spell, and he never ended up making a first-team appearance for the League One outfit either.
“I know people say that dealing with setbacks is really important,” he says. “I’ve had quite a lot in my career. I thought I’d go down to Oxford, I thought I’d obviously play, and then it didn’t work out that way. And then you just have to deal with that.”
Fiacre Kelleher pictured during his time at Celtic. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Instead, Kelleher gained more vital first-team experience, playing 38 times on loan at Solihull Moors in the National League.
He had another successful loan spell the following season for Macclesfield Town, featuring 42 times in League Two and impressing to the extent that they ended up signing him permanently.
“Just dealing with setbacks was a big part of my career. I always had that ability to just view it as an opportunity, rather than a setback.”
He had the benefit of being able to seek advice from one of the best centre-backs of the Premier League era.
Former England international Sol Campbell was appointed coach of Macclesfield in November 2018.
It was the former Arsenal star’s first job in management, and it was a baptism of fire, as he took over with the club bottom of the table and five points adrift of safety.
Yet Campbell guided Macclesfield to safety in his first season at the club, as a 1-1 draw with Cambridge on the final day was enough to see them finish three points above the drop zone.
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One of Campbell’s priorities that summer was to sign Kelleher permanently and make him club captain, having previously been installed as vice captain.
Yet the ex-Tottenham star dramatically resigned the following August amid financial problems at the club.
Four months later, Campbell backed a bid from HM Revenue and Customs to wind up the club, claiming to be owed £180,000, while club staff and players’ wages also went unpaid during that turbulent period.
Several points deductions ensured Macclesfield were relegated by the end of that Covid-interrupted season, and they ultimately were liquidated with debts of over £500,000.
So after finally appearing to have settled at a club, Kelleher was forced to move on again through no fault of his own.
Still, he retains positive memories of his time there and is surprised the Premier League legend has only had one manager’s job since then — a short spell in charge at Southend.
“Perhaps it was just a case of he’d had enough, problems with owners and people getting in his way, so maybe that’s why he doesn’t manage anymore. But from a coaching point of view, I can’t really understand why he’s not in the game because he does have a lot to offer,” he adds.
Kelleher worked under Sol Campbell at Macclesfield. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
From there, Kelleher joined Wrexham with the club still a couple of months away from the transformative takeover by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
The defender made 42 appearances as the Welsh side finished just shy of the National League playoffs, but he did enough to move up a division regardless, signing for League Two side Bradford City ahead of the following season.
It was at Valley Parade that Kelleher encountered another Premier League great, as Mark Hughes made a return to management after three and a half years out of football amid a difficult period for the club.
The Irishman didn’t get much of a look-in with the West Yorkshire outfit, playing just nine league games, but he still holds the former Man United and Barcelona player in high esteem.
“Mark Hughes was probably one of my favourite people I’ve met in football. To be fair, even though I didn’t play many games under him, he was just an incredibly good person. Easy to chat to and in similar ways to Ger, was very engaging in terms of seeing how your family were and how life was outside of football.
“For a guy who’s done so much in his own football career, he was very down to earth and easy to get on with.
“But then, his football knowledge and the managerial career he had, he was incredible with the little details that he’d pick up. He’d see things and tell me things that I hadn’t quite heard up until that point in my career.”
Mark Hughes was Kelleher's manager at Bradford. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Kelleher returned for a second loan spell at Solihull Moors before making a permanent switch to Colchester United in January 2023.
During his two and a half seasons with the League Two club, there was a significant change in their fortunes.
Having battled relegation in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, Kelleher made 28 appearances as they finished 10th and only three points off the playoffs last season, with coaches Dan and Nicky Cowley having a dramatic impact since their appointment in January 2024.
Kelleher will be hoping he can benefit from that experience of being part of a squad swiftly transformed from candidates for the drop to mid-table safety at his latest club, Cork City, whom he officially joined on 1 July on a long-term contract.
The 29-year-old has made just four Premier Division appearances for the Leesiders so far, with an ankle injury curtailing his progress in recent weeks.
Nevertheless, he was deemed fit enough to make the bench for Friday’s 3-0 FAI Cup quarter-final win over Finn Harps.
“It’s obviously home for me, and it’s just at a point in my career now, as well, where I have a young little boy who’s only six months old, and my wife is also from Cork, so that had an impact,” he says.
“And then I had good, lengthy conversations with Ger in the build up to signing for Cork City, and we seemed to get along really well, and he had a clear picture of what he wants to do with the club, and, a clear way of working as well that I took a liking to, and just his whole personality and stuff.
“It just attracted me to come back. And obviously, they gave me a good contract as well, which made my decision very easy in the end.”
He continues: “Before my little boy was born, you didn’t have to think about anybody other than me and my wife’s situation, but now we have his future ahead and where we’d like him to grow up, and things so that all impacted our decision. These are decisions that you have to factor in as you get older as well.”
In his senior career, Kelleher’s two and a half years at Colchester have been his longest stint at any one club.
He is experienced enough to know that nothing in football can be taken for granted, while being hopeful that Cork might break the trend of short-term stays.
Kelleher’s fate might depend on the club’s survival in the Premier Division.
With seven matches remaining, the Leesiders are eight points adrift of safety, as they aim to catch Sligo Rovers and Galway United, who are both on 30 points.
“I know it doesn’t look ideal, really, but it’s still possible. We just have to get a few wins.
“And so we have a few big weeks coming up now that’ll determine whether we give ourselves a right good chance of getting out of there.
“But definitely, at the moment, it’s still all to play for, in my eyes.”
Kelleher's brother Caoimhín is an Ireland and Premier League star. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
It’s been a similarly eventful couple of months for Caoimhín, who, in addition to starring for Ireland, has finally consolidated his status as a Premier League regular after signing for Brentford from Liverpool in the summer.
“I’m incredibly proud of what he’s achieved,” the goalkeeper’s older brother says. “It’s been amazing to share in that experience with him while I was over in England.
“The two of us were close before we went over to England, and now we’re even closer again that we can in some ways have a similar experience, in terms of living football as our job. He’s just doing incredible now, and I can’t wait [for the season ahead]. It’s been strange watching him now playing every week for Brentford, but at the same time, it’s been really nice.”
And do the pair ever give each other advice?
“We’d chat often, but never [give] advice. We like to chat things football just like any brothers do, really. Everything that he’s done in his career, he’s achieved it himself. It’s kind of been through his own learning and how he’s dealt with things, so I’ve never felt like I’d have to give him any advice. He’d be the one who’d be better off giving me advice at this stage.”
Caoimhín and Fiacre were the product of a sports-mad upbringing, with three elder brothers who played hurling for Cork Intermediates.
“We’d batter each other most days. We’d be [battling] each other with hurleys or playing tennis or playing a bit of soccer in the back garden or anything really. We’d throw our hands at most stuff. Everything was competition. Everything involved somebody winning and somebody losing.
“There wasn’t much time spent in the house, really. We’d be outside playing something or kicking each other or something like that. As you can imagine, it was carnage most days in our house. When I look back on it now, it was the best childhood.”
Caoimhín has gone on to become arguably the most impressive goalkeeper Ireland have produced since Shay Given, whereas of his own game, Fiacre modestly states: “I like to think I head most balls in and around my own box, and just generally, being quite vocal on the pitch and getting lads into correct positions.
“I’m probably good at everything that doesn’t require a lot of talent, to be honest. I can add a few bits on top of that. Not much, really, just graft.”
One key lesson he has learned from a life in football is that setbacks are inevitable, and the sooner you accept that occupational hazard, the better.
“Football’s similar to life. You have to be comfortable in the uncomfortable,” he concludes.
“Patience is something that is difficult and that I see boys struggle with these days. Everybody wants to play, and they’re quick to make decisions. They’re quick to call a day on a club, and they want to move and do all this, but sometimes, [you have] to just be patient, to keep working every day.
“If you have patience, your time will come around, and you’ll get an opportunity. And on top of that, make sure you’re enjoying it. The reason I’ve lasted this long is that I’ve loved playing football every day. I very rarely come home and complain about it, to be honest. I just adore not having to work at anything else and just getting to play football.”
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His brother's an Ireland and Premier League star. He has made a career at the other end of the game
WHILE CAOIMHÍN Kelleher was impressing for Ireland against Hungary and Armenia over the past few days, his brother Fiacre was getting ready for Cork City’s FAI Cup quarter-final.
Both are impressive figures in their own way and have had to show similar levels of resilience to get to where they are.
Just like Caoimhín at Liverpool, Fiacre started his career at a big club with a sizeable following in Ireland.
However, unlike Caoimhín, Fiacre never made the first-team breakthrough.
The young defender began playing at Avondale in his native Cork, but got scouted by Celtic when he was playing with Ireland at underage level.
Kelleher admits now that he wasn’t at the level required to make it at the Bhoys.
“Those lads [who made it] just had whatever it is, I just didn’t have that final bit that you could say: ‘Yeah, I’m good enough to play centre half at Celtic.’ And unfortunately, that’s the case for a lot of boys who go over [from Ireland]. But I gave it a good go, and to be fair, I’ve just done well to make a career out of it, from leaving there, then as well.”
The people he worked with at Celtic, he adds, have helped Kelleher “maximise” his potential.
The Corkonian also attracted interest elsewhere before agreeing to join the Parkhead outfit.
It was around this time that he first encountered Ger Nash, who now manages Kelleher at Cork City. He was coaching the underage side at Ipswich Town, where the youngster went on trial with the Tractor Boys.
“He was an Irish coach over in England, and he was very enthusiastic to help the Irish boys. So I remember meeting him. I remember him being a good coach. I think he took one or two games that I played over there. Ipswich wasn’t the club that I wanted to go to, but he always had a lasting impression on me. So when he got in contact [about joining Cork], we weren’t starting from an unknown basis. We had vague memories of each other.”
A 20-year-old Kelleher got his first taste of senior football in a loan spell with Peterhead in Scottish League One, making 19 appearances.
“At the time, it was probably the last thing I wanted to do, but you’d always be grateful for any games that you play at any level,” he says.
In the summer of 2017, Kelleher left Celtic permanently to sign for Oxford.
But once again, it was a frustrating spell, and he never ended up making a first-team appearance for the League One outfit either.
“I know people say that dealing with setbacks is really important,” he says. “I’ve had quite a lot in my career. I thought I’d go down to Oxford, I thought I’d obviously play, and then it didn’t work out that way. And then you just have to deal with that.”
Instead, Kelleher gained more vital first-team experience, playing 38 times on loan at Solihull Moors in the National League.
He had another successful loan spell the following season for Macclesfield Town, featuring 42 times in League Two and impressing to the extent that they ended up signing him permanently.
“Just dealing with setbacks was a big part of my career. I always had that ability to just view it as an opportunity, rather than a setback.”
He had the benefit of being able to seek advice from one of the best centre-backs of the Premier League era.
Former England international Sol Campbell was appointed coach of Macclesfield in November 2018.
It was the former Arsenal star’s first job in management, and it was a baptism of fire, as he took over with the club bottom of the table and five points adrift of safety.
Yet Campbell guided Macclesfield to safety in his first season at the club, as a 1-1 draw with Cambridge on the final day was enough to see them finish three points above the drop zone.
One of Campbell’s priorities that summer was to sign Kelleher permanently and make him club captain, having previously been installed as vice captain.
Yet the ex-Tottenham star dramatically resigned the following August amid financial problems at the club.
Four months later, Campbell backed a bid from HM Revenue and Customs to wind up the club, claiming to be owed £180,000, while club staff and players’ wages also went unpaid during that turbulent period.
Several points deductions ensured Macclesfield were relegated by the end of that Covid-interrupted season, and they ultimately were liquidated with debts of over £500,000.
So after finally appearing to have settled at a club, Kelleher was forced to move on again through no fault of his own.
Still, he retains positive memories of his time there and is surprised the Premier League legend has only had one manager’s job since then — a short spell in charge at Southend.
“Perhaps it was just a case of he’d had enough, problems with owners and people getting in his way, so maybe that’s why he doesn’t manage anymore. But from a coaching point of view, I can’t really understand why he’s not in the game because he does have a lot to offer,” he adds.
From there, Kelleher joined Wrexham with the club still a couple of months away from the transformative takeover by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
The defender made 42 appearances as the Welsh side finished just shy of the National League playoffs, but he did enough to move up a division regardless, signing for League Two side Bradford City ahead of the following season.
It was at Valley Parade that Kelleher encountered another Premier League great, as Mark Hughes made a return to management after three and a half years out of football amid a difficult period for the club.
The Irishman didn’t get much of a look-in with the West Yorkshire outfit, playing just nine league games, but he still holds the former Man United and Barcelona player in high esteem.
“Mark Hughes was probably one of my favourite people I’ve met in football. To be fair, even though I didn’t play many games under him, he was just an incredibly good person. Easy to chat to and in similar ways to Ger, was very engaging in terms of seeing how your family were and how life was outside of football.
“For a guy who’s done so much in his own football career, he was very down to earth and easy to get on with.
“But then, his football knowledge and the managerial career he had, he was incredible with the little details that he’d pick up. He’d see things and tell me things that I hadn’t quite heard up until that point in my career.”
Kelleher returned for a second loan spell at Solihull Moors before making a permanent switch to Colchester United in January 2023.
During his two and a half seasons with the League Two club, there was a significant change in their fortunes.
Having battled relegation in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, Kelleher made 28 appearances as they finished 10th and only three points off the playoffs last season, with coaches Dan and Nicky Cowley having a dramatic impact since their appointment in January 2024.
Kelleher will be hoping he can benefit from that experience of being part of a squad swiftly transformed from candidates for the drop to mid-table safety at his latest club, Cork City, whom he officially joined on 1 July on a long-term contract.
The 29-year-old has made just four Premier Division appearances for the Leesiders so far, with an ankle injury curtailing his progress in recent weeks.
Nevertheless, he was deemed fit enough to make the bench for Friday’s 3-0 FAI Cup quarter-final win over Finn Harps.
“It’s obviously home for me, and it’s just at a point in my career now, as well, where I have a young little boy who’s only six months old, and my wife is also from Cork, so that had an impact,” he says.
“And then I had good, lengthy conversations with Ger in the build up to signing for Cork City, and we seemed to get along really well, and he had a clear picture of what he wants to do with the club, and, a clear way of working as well that I took a liking to, and just his whole personality and stuff.
“It just attracted me to come back. And obviously, they gave me a good contract as well, which made my decision very easy in the end.”
He continues: “Before my little boy was born, you didn’t have to think about anybody other than me and my wife’s situation, but now we have his future ahead and where we’d like him to grow up, and things so that all impacted our decision. These are decisions that you have to factor in as you get older as well.”
In his senior career, Kelleher’s two and a half years at Colchester have been his longest stint at any one club.
He is experienced enough to know that nothing in football can be taken for granted, while being hopeful that Cork might break the trend of short-term stays.
Kelleher’s fate might depend on the club’s survival in the Premier Division.
With seven matches remaining, the Leesiders are eight points adrift of safety, as they aim to catch Sligo Rovers and Galway United, who are both on 30 points.
“I know it doesn’t look ideal, really, but it’s still possible. We just have to get a few wins.
“And so we have a few big weeks coming up now that’ll determine whether we give ourselves a right good chance of getting out of there.
“But definitely, at the moment, it’s still all to play for, in my eyes.”
It’s been a similarly eventful couple of months for Caoimhín, who, in addition to starring for Ireland, has finally consolidated his status as a Premier League regular after signing for Brentford from Liverpool in the summer.
“I’m incredibly proud of what he’s achieved,” the goalkeeper’s older brother says. “It’s been amazing to share in that experience with him while I was over in England.
“The two of us were close before we went over to England, and now we’re even closer again that we can in some ways have a similar experience, in terms of living football as our job. He’s just doing incredible now, and I can’t wait [for the season ahead]. It’s been strange watching him now playing every week for Brentford, but at the same time, it’s been really nice.”
And do the pair ever give each other advice?
“We’d chat often, but never [give] advice. We like to chat things football just like any brothers do, really. Everything that he’s done in his career, he’s achieved it himself. It’s kind of been through his own learning and how he’s dealt with things, so I’ve never felt like I’d have to give him any advice. He’d be the one who’d be better off giving me advice at this stage.”
Caoimhín and Fiacre were the product of a sports-mad upbringing, with three elder brothers who played hurling for Cork Intermediates.
“We’d batter each other most days. We’d be [battling] each other with hurleys or playing tennis or playing a bit of soccer in the back garden or anything really. We’d throw our hands at most stuff. Everything was competition. Everything involved somebody winning and somebody losing.
“There wasn’t much time spent in the house, really. We’d be outside playing something or kicking each other or something like that. As you can imagine, it was carnage most days in our house. When I look back on it now, it was the best childhood.”
Caoimhín has gone on to become arguably the most impressive goalkeeper Ireland have produced since Shay Given, whereas of his own game, Fiacre modestly states: “I like to think I head most balls in and around my own box, and just generally, being quite vocal on the pitch and getting lads into correct positions.
“I’m probably good at everything that doesn’t require a lot of talent, to be honest. I can add a few bits on top of that. Not much, really, just graft.”
One key lesson he has learned from a life in football is that setbacks are inevitable, and the sooner you accept that occupational hazard, the better.
“Football’s similar to life. You have to be comfortable in the uncomfortable,” he concludes.
“Patience is something that is difficult and that I see boys struggle with these days. Everybody wants to play, and they’re quick to make decisions. They’re quick to call a day on a club, and they want to move and do all this, but sometimes, [you have] to just be patient, to keep working every day.
“If you have patience, your time will come around, and you’ll get an opportunity. And on top of that, make sure you’re enjoying it. The reason I’ve lasted this long is that I’ve loved playing football every day. I very rarely come home and complain about it, to be honest. I just adore not having to work at anything else and just getting to play football.”
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Caoimhin Kelleher fiacre kelleher Interview Soccer Cork City Ireland Republic Liverpool