Barry Murphy (footballer, born 1985)
Barry Murphy (born 1985 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the League of Ireland. He spent two spells with Shamrock Rovers and also played for Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic across three spells.
Murphy came through Shamrock Rovers’ youth system and showed early promise, earning U21 Player of the Year in 2004 and going on to win Young Player of the Year and Player of the Year in 2005. He made his League of Ireland debut in May 2005 against Waterford, keeping a clean sheet. In 2006, Rovers won the First Division and Murphy helped with a high number of clean sheets. In 2007 he kept 16 clean sheets in 29 league games as Rovers finished fifth.
Midway through the 2009 season he lost his starting place to Alan Mannus and, after reportedly turning down a new contract, left Shamrock Rovers. He joined Bohemians for the 2010 season. Murphy made his league debut for Bohemians in March 2010 and also played in Europe, keeping a clean sheet in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against The New Saints, though the club later suffered a heavy defeat. He spent the 2010–11 season with Bohemians but lost his first‑choice status before regaining it later in the year.
In January 2012 Murphy signed for St Patrick’s Athletic. He later returned to Shamrock Rovers in November 2012 for a spell, before rejoining St Patrick’s Athletic for the 2017 season. After a year out of football, he came back to St Patrick’s for a third spell in March 2021.
In 2021 Murphy played for St Patrick’s Athletic and featured in the 2021 FAI Cup Final, where they beat Bohemians on penalties after a 1–1 draw, in front of a record crowd. He announced his retirement in 2023, but later played in a St Patrick’s Athletic legends match in September 2023 for Ian Bermingham’s testimonial.
Internationally, Murphy represented Ireland at under-23 level, earning three caps, and also appeared once for the League of Ireland XI.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:16 (CET).