From Dundalk to England, to Scotland and to Dundalk once again, I had the pleasure of selecting the questions for this interview of former Ireland International Daryl Horgan, conducted by Keith, Media and Communications Department at Dundalk FC, many thanks to him and Daryl for making it happen.
Q: Return to Dundalk: How has it felt to return to Dundalk, and how does it compare to your first stint with the club?
Daryl: “Very, very different for obvious reasons. You know, obviously at that time we were incredibly successful, had unbelievable runs in Europe, league titles and everything. And you know, I was a younger man at that stage too. But coming back, look, it was, it was lovely coming back. It was time, felt right with the family home. You know, there was an excitement while coming back and look, unfortunately football wise, it’s not gone anywhere near the way I thought it was going to go or I was hoping it would go. So on that side of things, very, very, very different. But you know, nice to be back and this season now I’m really looking forward to.”
Q: Team Dynamics: What are your thoughts on the current squad and the club’s potential to bounce back this season?
Daryl: “Look, the aim is promotion. We want to be playing in the Premier Division in 2026. We know it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a really, really tough year now. A lot of good signs, making a lot of good additions and you know every game of football you play is difficult and you have to make sure we’re at it for every single game. But for us now the aim is promotion. I think we’ve a squad there more than capable of it. A lot of very, very talented young lads who may need a little bit of time to, to get a real hang on the professional men’s football. But really, really good players. We’ve brought in good lads who know the league and, you know, probably feel they’re in a position where they can jump up as well. So for all of that, yeah, I’m confident, but we know that it’ll be tough and we have to be at it.”
Q: Relegation Reaction: How difficult was it for you to see Dundalk relegated, and what do you think are the key steps needed to regain promotion?
Daryl: “Yeah, it was horrific. It was a horrible, horrible year last year for I suppose more reasons than one, coming in the relegation, It was yeah, I’ve, I’ve had one once before in my career and it was horrible. But this one, it felt worse. It felt, yeah, it was, it was a sickener. I kept thinking we’d get a win and we’d get out of it, but we just towards the end season just couldn’t get over that hump, couldn’t turn them tight games into three points. We just couldn’t get over the line on them and you know, effectively cost us, you know, we just, we weren’t good enough last year. We have to have to look at ourselves in the mirror, hold our heads up and say what was the problem? The problem was we weren’t good enough. You know, you can say x, y and z about owners and clubs and monies and everything, but at the end of the day we all got our money, everyone got paid and we still got relegated. So that side of things, it was, it was really, really disappointing.”
And yeah, for the the building, for me, I said at the end of last year, it’s a really, really exciting time for Dundalk Football Club because things weren’t right. And whatever you say about anything, when things aren’t right from the top, it eventually seeps through. It can hold on for so long, but eventually it comes through. And the club was never a footing nearly folded. Thankfully John came in and sorted that and has got Dundalk in the right direction and know there’s a real opportunity for young local lads. Young lads have come through the academy to play for the first team and, you know, building Dundalk sustainably and correctly. And you know, it’s it’s an exciting time for the club and you know, the the fans actually have to say were absolutely amazing. You know, there’s other clubs are, you know, and they were well within their rights to be abusing us, coming out with the the torches and the pitchforks after games. But no, they were there, they were supporting, they were chanting, they were they were incredible, and hopefully we can give them a good year this year.”
Q: Career Highlights: What has been your proudest moment in football so far, either with Dundalk or elsewhere?
A: “Proudest moment, playing for Ireland. Yeah, yeah, that was, that was my proudest moment. Then probably scoring for Ireland against Andorra, that was that was the big, big highlight, I have to say.”
Q: Mentorship Role: With your experience, do you see yourself as a mentor for younger players in the team?
A: “I suppose I always try to help people no matter what age I was. Any little bit of advice or current of knowledge when I was younger, I suppose it I was always asking questions of people who were older than me and they were doing something I saw. I like that I’d always ask questions. So anytime anyone wants to know anything, anytime anyone wants to speak to me, ask me about it and all that. I’m always full of, you could say experience, but I’ve been around the flock for a while now. Yeah. And so, yeah, like I’d like to think that, you know, I have that them qualities to help develop young players, help them tactically, but also the mental side of the game that is so, so crucial and, you know, be able to give them all the the positive feedback or negative feedback if they need be. But, you know, there’s a there’s a, a good group of young, as I say, young, really hungry lads who want to do well. And they’re, you know, they will need a bit of guidance, and there’s going to be times where, you know, it will be difficult. And we’re going to play the games where we’re going to be, we’re going to be under the cosh, and, you know, it’s not going to go all our way. And, you know, it’s going to be difficult for young lads because, you know, you only really learn that with experience. But hopefully there’s enough of us in there now that have that that knowledge. Generally we’ll be able to guide those young boys through these times. But yeah, like I suppose the manager gave me the armband and then in that sense he sees me being able to do that role as well. So that was a nice little plus for me too.”
Q: Looking Ahead: What are your personal goals for this season, and how do you hope to contribute to Dundalk’s journey back to the top flight?
A: “I suppose as the captain, my role is to to bring everyone along with me. We, like I said, the the aim is promotion. We want to be, we want to be dynamic, enjoyable to watch, solid, looking like a real team, real togetherness. And as, as captain that team, I need to be able to be the one who’s going to bring that together as much as I can from the playing side of things. So I personally look, I want to play, I want to want to play well. I want to be scoring goals, setting up goals. But the priority for us now is promotion. You know, it doesn’t matter what Daryl Hrgan does. It doesn’t matter what anyone else does. But what Dundalk Football Club does. And that’s the that’s to be the game for all of us.”
Once again, thank you so much to Daryl, Keith and all of Dundalk. Best of luck with the upcoming season!
