A look back at Preston North End's transfer business from the League of Ireland

Since their promotion to the Championship, there have been five new signings from the League of Ireland directly, and one that came just one season prior to their 2015 Wembley success.

They have had varying impacts at the club, and only one remains at Deepdale. But how has PNE’s business gone, buying from the Emerald Isle?

The half dozen Irishman to make their way over to England and Lancashire are: Alan Browne, Andy Boyle, Daryl Horgan Sean Maguire, Kevin O’Connor and Graham Burke.

Of the six, only Browne is still plying his trade at Deepdale, and he’s also the only one currently in the Championship. Since joining from Cork City at the age of 18, the midfielder has gone on to be a key figure in Preston’s recent stint in the second tier and was used as a substitute at Wembley as they won promotion from League One. He has over 350 first team appearances to his name for the Lilywhites and was named club captain in 2020, enjoying a regular spot in the Republic of Ireland national team, too.

Maguire has enjoyed the next most success during his time in England, when it comes to game time and longevity. The striker was another to join from Cork City and netted 10 times in his maiden campaign at North End, with them narrowly missing out on the play-off places.

In total, Maguire, now 29, scored 22 goals in 159 appearances and claimed 11 Ireland caps during his time at Deepdale. He left the club in January after five-and-a-half years in PR1 and moved to Coventry City, most recently reaching the play-off final with the Sky Blues, though he was not named in the squad for the game, and was released as Mark Robins announced his side’s retained list on Tuesday.

Horgan was the only other player of the six to realistically leave his mark on the PNE first team, he signed in January 2017 from Dundalk and played 19 times for the Lilywhites before the end of that season, scoring twice.

He played 23 times in the following campaign and once the year after, before moving north of the border to join Hibernian. From Hibs he returned to the Championship with Wycombe Wanderers before being relegated to League One. Most recently the Chairboys have loaned the 30-year-old out to Stevenage in League Two, where he just secured automatic promotion. Following the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Wycombe have confirmed that Horgan will be released at the end of his contract.

The diminutive winger was joined at Deepdale by Boyle, who made the switch from Dundalk alongside his teammate, though his time at the club was shorter. He played 12 times in total at North End, with an Ireland cap won too, and was shipped out on loan after just 12 months at the club, though he stayed contracted for his full three-year-deal. He moved on loan to Doncaster Rovers, Dundee and Ross County before returning to Dundalk. In his first season back in his homeland he helped his former, and new side, to a league and cup double and has played in the Europa League group stages.

Another double deal was for O’Connor, who joined alongside Maguire as the pair impressed at Cork City. Unfortunately for the left back, the biggest highlight during his time in blue and white was winning the lottery, and nothing to do with football.

He won €1m in the Irish National Lottery at Christmas time in 2017 after being gifted a ticket by his uncle, he played nine times in the first half of his first season before joining Fleetwood Town on loan for the remainder of the campaign – playing five times for the Cod Army.

He’s currently in his second spell back with Cork City since leaving North End, now in the Irish First Division, with a year at Shelbourne in between.

Lastly is Burke, now 29, who is still going strong in Ireland. Like O’Connor, he only spent six months at the club before moving out on loan to Gillingham in January 2019. He then joined Shamrock Rovers on loan and impressed back in the League of Ireland, earning a permanent move to the club. He’s been a regular in their first team since and has won three league titles in a row.