Dundalk bolster squad with retentions and Burns signing

Dundalk FC’s squad is steadily coming together as the club prepares for its return to the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division in 2026, a campaign that begins with a daunting opening assignment away to reigning champions Shamrock Rovers on Friday, February 6th.

Promoted as First Division champions in 2025, Dundalk will launch their top-flight return at Tallaght Stadium against the Premier Division and FAI Cup double holders.

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Season tickets are now on sale, granting entry to all 18 of The Lilywhites’ home league fixtures at Oriel Park, beginning with the visit of Derry City on February 13th.

Attention then turns to local rivalry, with the season’s first Louth derby scheduled for February 20th as Drogheda United travel to Oriel, before the month concludes with an away encounter against St Patrick’s Athletic on February 27th.

Ciaran Kilduff’s side will bring the curtain down on their 2026 league campaign on October 30th, hosting Shamrock Rovers at Oriel.

The Dundalk manager has wasted little time in strengthening the foundations of his squad, securing the return of several key figures from the club’s 2025 promotion-winning campaign, with Enda Minogue, Conor O'Keeffe, Mayowa Animasahun and Gbemi Arubi all committing to another season over the past week.

Goalkeeper Minogue featured in exactly half of Dundalk’s 36 league fixtures last term, registering nine clean sheets, while the experienced Peter Cherrie deputised for the remainder of the campaign.

Although Kilduff remains keen to recruit an additional goalkeeper to provide competition for Minogue in 2026, local reports linking Manchester United youngster Elyh Harrison with a loan move appear premature, with sources at Oriel indicating that no contact has been made with the England U20 international at this stage.

At the back, local defender Animasahun is also set to continue in white, following an impressive season at the heart of the defence, during which Dundalk recorded 13 clean sheets across the 26 matches in which he featured.

Right-back O’Keeffe has likewise committed his future, agreeing to remain with the club for a further season.

In attack, last season’s leading scorer Arubi, who netted 12 goals, has also committed to the club, though The Lilywhites remain in the market for an additional forward to offset the departures of Dean Ebbe, now with Ballymena United, and Rohan Vaughan, who has been linked with a move to Glenavon.

In terms of new arrivals, Dundalk have also confirmed the much-anticipated signing of left-back Bobby Burns, who joins the club after an 18-month spell with Galway United, during which he made 44 Premier Division appearances and found the net once.

The left-back position has been a longstanding area of focus for Dundalk since Sean Keogh’s move to Brighton & Hove Albion, and the arrival of the 26-year-old brings welcome depth and experience to a squad already bolstered by the additions of Harvey Warren, Ronan Teahan and Keith Buckley from Bray Wanderers, Kerry and Bohemians respectively.

An Antrim native, Burns began his career in the Irish League with Glenavon before earning a move to the Scottish Premiership with Hearts in 2018.

His two-year spell in Edinburgh included loan stints with Livingston and Australia’s Newcastle Jets, providing him with valuable experience across different leagues.

During that period, Burns was called into Northern Ireland’s senior squad by Michael O’Neill for matches against the Republic of Ireland and Austria in 2018 and, while he did not earn a full cap, he represented the country 10 times at U21 level between 2018 and 2020.

Burns returned home via a brief spell with Barrow in England before joining Glentoran in 2020, where he went on to make 128 competitive appearances, scoring 18 goals, prior to his move into the League of Ireland with Galway midway through the 2024 season.

2026 Dundalk FC Squad (as of December 19th): Enda Minogue, Sammy Safaei; Conor O’Keeffe, Mayowa Animasahun, Vinnie Leonard, Harvey Warren, Bobby Burns; Aodh Dervin, Daryl Horgan, Harry Groome, Leo Gaxha, Shane Tracey, Ronan Teahan, Keith Buckley; Gbemi Arubi, TJ Molloy.

Confirmed Departures: Sean McHale (St Patrick’s Athletic – end of loan), Ethen Vaughan (released); Andy Paraschiv (released); Dean Ebbe (Ballymena United), Rohan Vaughan (Queens Park Rangers – end of loan)