Pierce O'Leary
 |
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pierce O'Leary | ||
| Date of birth | 5 November 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1981 | Shamrock Rovers | 71 | (2) |
| 1978 | → Philadelphia Fury (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 1981–1984 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 61 | (1) |
| 1984–1988 | Celtic | 39 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 1978–1980 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | Republic of Ireland | 7 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Pierce O'Leary (born 5 November 1959 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer. Pierce is the brother of former Arsenal star and fellow Irish international David O'Leary.
Football career
O'Leary signed for Shamrock Rovers in 1977 under Johnny Giles and made his debut in October[1] and went on to win the FAI Cup in 1978. A week after the Cup Final he signed for Philadelphia Fury where he spent three months. In 1981, he signed for Vancouver Whitecaps before joining Celtic in November 1984.
O'Leary earned youth caps and 7 Republic of Ireland national football team caps while at Milltown, five Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team caps and made three appearances for Rovers in European competition. The tall centre-half made his Celtic debut in a 2–1 Scottish Cup victory at Hamilton Accies on 30 January 1985. He came on as substitute in the 1985 Scottish Cup final as Celtic came from behind to defeat Dundee United 2–1. He then made enough appearances to claim a League Championship medal after Celtic pipped Hearts for the title on the final day of the 1985–86 season. He was forced to retire in 1988 due to recurring pelvic trouble.
Pierce's son Ryan O'Leary is also now a professional footballer and played with Kilmarnock.[2]
Post Football career
Prior to retiring from football in 1988, O'Leary had set up an industrial cleaning business in Glasgow in partnership with Packie Bonner.[3][4] Bonner's involvement only lasted a few years, but under O'Leary the business secured numerous contracts with offices, shops and hospitals. However, O'Leary went bankrupt in March 2013 and a new business has since been set up with his wife as director.[4]
Honours
- FAI Cup
- Shamrock Rovers – 1978
- Scottish League
- Celtic – 1985/86
- Scottish Cup
- Celtic – 1985
References
- ^ "Unknown title". The Irish Times.(subscription required)
- ^ "Ryan O'Leary". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Shields, Tom (14 June 1988). "Diary by Tom Shields; In safe hands". The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ a b Ferry, Declan (29 March 2013). "Former Celtic star Pierce O'Leary has gone bankrupt with debts of more than €240,000 - Irish Mirror Online". Irishmirror.ie. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- Sources
- The Hoops by Paul Doolan and Robert Goggins (ISBN 0-7171-2121-6)
External links
- "Profile". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "NASL Soccer North American Soccer League Players". nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Celtic F.C. players
- Scottish Football League players
- Expatriate footballers in Scotland
- Expatriate soccer players in Canada
- Association football defenders
- League of Ireland players
- Irish expatriates in Canada
- Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players
- People from Dublin (city)
- Association footballers from Dublin (city)
- Philadelphia Fury (1978–1980) players
- Republic of Ireland association footballers
- Republic of Ireland international footballers
- Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers
- Republic of Ireland youth international footballers
- Shamrock Rovers F.C. players
- Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players
- Stella Maris F.C. players