Hoolahan's farewell to Dublin

The Irish Premier Division has lost one of its brightest talents after Shelbourne FC agreed to sell midfield player Wesley Hoolahan to Scottish Premier League club Livingston FC, but there was some good news for fans of the Dublin side as Swedish side Djurgårdens IF failed to complete a move for their top scorer, Jason Byrne.

Decisive offer
An offer of around €140,000 proved to be enough for Livingston to snap up the 23-year-old Hoolahan, whose contract was due to expire in the summer, but the club were not so impressed with the offer that the reigning Swedish champions made for Byrne.

Inadequate offer
"It would have been a very good move for Jason but it wasn't to be and he's accepted that," said manager Pat Fenlon. "It had to right for the club too, but their offer to us wasn't good enough. Jason has two more years at Shelbourne on his current contract and he's happy to stay on."

Dublin busy
Dermot Keely, in charge of newly-promoted side Dublin City FC, has been the busiest manager in the winter transfer market, with nine new arrivals at the Vikings. Keely has snapped up Mark Rooney, Gary Rogers and Stuart Malcolm, all from Drogheda United FC, Gavin McDonnell and Keith Doyle from relegated Shamrock Rovers FC, Dundalk FC's Ger McCarthy, Paul Crowley of Waterford United FC, Damien Brennan from Derry City FC and Mick O'Donnell from University College Dublin FC.

Derry coup
Derry have pulled off a major coup by winning the signature of Kevin McHugh from Finn Harps FC. The 25-year-old has been one of the deadliest forwards in the Irish game since he made his debut for hometown club Harps in 1998, but he decide to leave them following relegation at the end of the 2005 season. "I came here to win things, Derry went close last season by finishing second in the league and I want us to win the title in 2006," said McHugh. Derry have also signed talented defender Ken Oman from Bohemian FC.

Fair Play
UCD are in with a chance of UEFA Cup qualification after they finished top of the Irish Fair Play league for the 2005 season. The Students are already guaranteed a cheque for €4,500 because of their excellent disciplinary record, and the Dublin club also hope they can be one of the three sides to win a place in the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play scheme.