Shamrock Rovers have coaxed Sean Hoare from Dundalk and captured highly-experienced midfielder Chris McCann as the Hoops begin preparations for the defence of their league crown in 2021.
Hoare, scorer of the fourth goal for the Lilywhites in the FAI Cup final last week, spent four seasons at Oriel Park and won two league titles.
With his contract expired, he has opted to switch to this year's champions in what is the first hit to Filippo Giovagnoli's attempts to keep his squad together for the next campaign.
McCann, meanwhile, has enjoyed a long career in England with the likes of Burnley, Wigan and Oldham Athletic.
He played nine seasons in the Championship, one in the Premier League and featured in European football for the Latics.
The 33-year-old won the MLS Cup with Atlanta United, as well as lining out alongside Wayne Rooney at DC United.
Manager Stephen Bradley said: "Sean fits everything we do. We tried to sign Sean a few years back and we didn’t get him but we’ve always liked him. He fits our type of profile for a defender and he’s very versatile. He’s a good age as well so he’s one we’ve liked for quite some time.
"He’s played in the league a long time and obviously been very successful. He’s played in Europe and knows what the league’s about. Everything about him suits the type of player we bring in. He’s only 26 but he has a lot experience.
"We’ve seen over the years in the league that he’s very good in both boxes at set plays. He’s very good defensively and attacking so he strengthens us in that department as well. There’s so many attributes and areas that we liked about his game, there’s many reasons we wanted him and that was just one of them.
"You just have to look at Chris’ pedigree, where he’s played and the level he’s played at. He just recently won the MLS so he’s played at a really high level. He’s a player that we feel improves us. He has a lot of really good attributes and he’s one that once he became available, we were really keen to get done. He’s a player that improves us as a team and as a squad and makes us better.
"He had a lot of interest in England and he had a lot of offers but his family are life-long Shamrock Rovers fans. He’s been to games when he’s come home from England and when he was younger. He’s watched us play the last 12 months or so and really liked how we play. Once we spoke to him, he knew a lot about us to be fair to him. It was just about getting it moving and thankfully we were able to get it done."
