CONOR HOURIHANE

Born: 02 February 1991

Came from: Ipswich Town   Went to: Barnsley

First game: 06 August 2011   Last game: 03 May 2014

Appearances: 142 (136/6)   Goals: 16

Hourihane began his career with hometown club Bandon before joining Douglas Hall AFC in Cork. His performances there earned him a call-up to the Republic of Ireland schoolboy side and he later represented his country at every level up to under-21. A midfielder who could also play at left-back, he attracted interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Celtic, but in 2007 chose Sunderland, partly due to the presence of Roy Keane.

After completing a two-year apprenticeship at the Academy of Light, he signed a professional contract and impressed for the academy and reserve sides. However, after turning down a contract extension in search of first-team football, he left without making a senior appearance and reunited with Keane at Ipswich Town.

Hourihane, who was also a talented Gaelic footballer and hurler, did not feature for Ipswich's first team but earned a short contract extension as new manager Paul Jewell assessed his squad. Despite this, he joined Argyle on a free transfer following a successful trial. He quickly established himself in midfield and helped the club avoid relegation from the Football League in his first season.

Following Darren Purse's departure and John Sheridan's appointment as manager, Hourihane was named club captain despite his relative youth. Given greater licence to attack, he enjoyed an outstanding 2013-14 campaign, missing just one match through suspension. He scored nine goals, including two in Argyle's entertaining 3-3 draw at Portsmouth on the final day of the season.

Few supporters at Fratton Park realised it would prove to be his final appearance for the club. Barnsley eventually succeeded with a reported £200,000 bid after two earlier offers had been rejected, with half of the fee going to Argyle's creditors. The club reluctantly accepted after Hourihane declined to extend his contract, meaning he could have left for nothing the following summer.

Hourihane spent two and a half highly successful seasons at Oakwell, making 135 appearances and scoring 31 goals. His outstanding 2015-16 campaign culminated in victories at Wembley in both the Football League Trophy and the League One play-off final, helping Barnsley return to the Championship. His form earned a January 2017 move to Aston Villa on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, widely reported to be around £3 million.

He spent six seasons at Villa Park, helping the club regain Premier League status in 2019. He scored his first hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Norwich City in August 2017 and, after promotion, signed a new three-year contract. His first Premier League goal also came against Norwich, meaning he had scored in each of England's top four divisions.

Hourihane collected a Championship play-off winners' medal in 2019 and a League Cup runners-up medal the following season after Villa's narrow defeat to Manchester City at Wembley. He also spent time on loan with Swansea City and Sheffield United in the Championship.

Released by Villa in June 2022 after 151 appearances and 29 goals, he also established himself internationally during his time in the Midlands. He won 36 senior caps for the Republic of Ireland between 2017 and 2022, scoring once against Georgia in March 2019.

In July 2022, Hourihane joined newly relegated Derby County on a two-year contract. Appointed captain ahead of the 2023-24 season, he helped the Rams secure automatic promotion back to the Championship.

After making 98 appearances and scoring 13 goals across two seasons, he returned to Barnsley in 2024 as player-coach on a multi-year contract. He retired from playing in December 2024 to become assistant head coach before being appointed head coach in March 2025 following Darrell Clarke's departure, signing a deal until 2027 with the option of a further year.

He was named League One Manager of the Month for November 2025 after guiding Barnsley to seven points from three unbeaten matches. However, the club announced in April 2026 that he would leave by mutual consent at the end of the season.

In the summer of 2026, Hourihane joined Leicester City as a first-team coach.