Paul Clarke (Irish footballer)

Paul Clarke

Personal information
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Midfield
Born	1966 (age 57–58) County Dublin
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Nickname	Clarkie
Occupation	Firefighter Dublin Airport
Club(s)
Years	Club
26 years	Whitehall Colmcille
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County
1985 - 1997	Dublin
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	6
All-Irelands	1
NFL	3
All Stars	1

Paul Clarke (born 1966 in County Dublin, Ireland) is an All Star winning former Gaelic footballer for Dublin. He played football with his local club Whitehall Colmcille in Dublin and was a member of the Dublin senior football team for a number of years, starting in 1985. He earned his first and only All-Ireland medal in 1995, the same year in which he won his only All Star award. Married in 2015 to Emer Mullaney and first child born Ben Stephen Clarke in June 2016.

Biography

Having played soccer as a child up to Under-14 level, Clarke began playing Gaelic football while at school at St Aidan's CBS, in Dublin. He went on to join Whitehall Colmcille's, his local club, and was quickly noticed and selected for the inter-county Under 14 side, with whom he went on to win an under-14 leinster title. Clarke joined the Dublin minor football team in 1983, and in 1984, led them to an All-Ireland Minor Football Championship as captain. In 1983, he went on a tour of Australia with a colleges team, where try-outs for Australian Rules Football were held, but he was not selected.

Senior inter-county

Clarke joined the Dublin senior panel in October 1985 and had his debut in a win against Donegal in a National League fixture. Over the course of the next decade, he would play in many positions in the backs, midfield and forwards. In 1995, playing in his fourth All-Ireland final, Clarke finally won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal, and also won an All Star award the same year.