Donal Leahy (31 August 1938 – 31 December 2015) was an Irish footballer recognised for his role as a wing-half. He is chiefly remembered for his time with his hometown club, Evergreen United.
Club career Leahy made his debut on 15 September 1956, scoring in a match against Shamrock Rovers at Glenmalure Park, which ended in a 3–1 loss for Evergreen in the League of Ireland Shield.
Leahy gained attention from Evergreen after a notable performance for Munster Youths against West Germany Youths at The Mardyke in May 1956. He opted to stay in Cork rather than move to Aston Villa or Blackburn in 1957. Under manager Tommy Moroney, Leahy was repositioned as a striker, a move that resulted in him being the top scorer in the League of Ireland for three consecutive seasons from 1956–57 to 1958–59. On 3 May 1959, Leahy scored the only goal in Evergreen's 1–0 victory over Shamrock Rovers in the Top Four Cup final at Dalymount Park, marking his first senior medal.
On 21 January 1962, Leahy scored five goals in Cork Celtic's 8–2 victory over St. Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park. He scored the equaliser in the 1964 FAI Cup final against Shamrock Rovers, although Celtic lost the replay. After this season, back problems affected his performance, leading him to play in midfield during the 1964–65 League of Ireland season. Despite this, he became the first Cork player to score in European competition at PFC Slavia Sofia in the 1964–65 European Cup Winners' Cup.
In February 1967, Leahy requested a transfer, seeking a change of club. He played as a fullback during the 1967–68 League of Ireland season, the only season in his 14-year career in which he did not score in the league. He later managed Celtic's reserve team and contributed to the team reaching the 1969 FAI Cup final.
Leahy retired from Cork Celtic in December 1969 and subsequently played non-league football with Tramore Athletic before returning to the League of Ireland with Limerick. He scored on his debut for Limerick at the Markets Field. Leahy retired from professional football due to back issues at the end of the 1969–70 League of Ireland season. He briefly returned to football to score the winning goal in Billy Lord's testimonial match in May 1976.
International career Leahy scored on his Inter-League debut against the Irish League XI in March 1957. His performance in his debut season led to him being placed on standby for the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification match against England on 19 May 1957. However, he did not earn this international cap.
He also scored the sole goal for the League of Ireland XI in a defeat to the Scottish League on 5 October 1960 at Celtic Park.
Legacy In March 1995, he was inducted into the National League Legends roll of honour. He was present when Pat Morley broke his record of 162 League of Ireland goals in November 1999. By the end of the 2013 League of Ireland season, Leahy was joint fifth on the all-time League of Ireland goalscoring list with 162 goals.
Statistics
Inter League goals DateOpponentsResultScoreCompetitionVenueAttendance1957-03-18Irish League XID2–2friendlyDalymount Park, Dublin28,0001957-04-22Irish League XIW2–1friendlyWindsor Park, Belfast15,0001959-09-02Scottish Football League XIL1–4friendlyDalymount Park, Dublin26,0001960-04-12Irish League XIW2–1friendlyTolka Park, Dublin8,0001960-10-05Scottish Football League XIL1–5friendlyCeltic Park, Glasgow23,0001961-03-17Irish League XIL2–3friendlyDalymount Park, Dublin12,0001961-04-03Irish League XID1–1friendlySolitude Ground, Belfast22,000
List of League goals Season Goals Club Notes1956–57 15 Evergreen Joint top league goalscorer1957–58 16 Evergreen Top league goalscorer1958–59 22 Evergreen Top league goalscorer1959–60 20 Cork Celtic1960–61 21 Cork Celtic1961–62 18 Cork Celtic1962–63 7 Cork Celtic1963–64 16 Cork Celtic1964–65 5 Cork Celtic1965–66 8 Cork Celtic1966–67 5 Cork Celtic1967–68 0 Cork Celtic1968–69 5 Cork Celtic1969–70 4 Limerick
Honours Cork Celtic League of Ireland Shield: 1960–61 Dublin City Cup: 1961–62 Top Four Cup: 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60 Munster Senior Cup: 1959–60, 1961–62, 1963–64
References
Sources The Book of Irish Goalscorers by Seán Ryan & Stephen Burke 1987