St Patrick's Athletic have signed highly rated defender Conor Keeley from Drogheda United on a multi-year contract.
The 26-year-old was excellent for Kevin Doherty's Drogs last season, making 33 appearances in the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division.
The 6'5" centre-back previously played for Shelbourne before moving to Cabinteely where he played over 80 times during four campaigns. He then had a two-year spell in the NIFL Premiership and Ballymena United, moving to Drogheda last winter.
"I'm absolutely delighted," said Keeley.
"Once I heard about the interest from the club, it's something that I really wanted to do.
"This will be my first experience on full-time football which I can't wait for. I've always wanted to be a full-time footballer, and to wake up in the morning and go to training, the gym sessions and all that goes with that.
"I enjoyed my time at Drogheda United, they are a great club and we had a very good season, I thank them for everything they've done for me, it's time now for me to take the next step in my career and the chance to move to Pat's was something I couldn't turn down."
Elsewhere Waterford have brought in Darragh Leahy from Dundalk for an undisclosed fee.
The 25-year-old defender joins the Blues having spent the last four years with the Lilywhites, winning an FAI Cup during his time at Oriel Park. Before that he had two years with Bohemians under the guidance of now Blues head coach Keith Long.
"I’ve played some of my best football under Keith [Long] at Bohs, and once I heard there was a bit of an interest there, I wanted to get everything sorted and thankfully it is now," said Leahy.
"I really can’t wait to play at the RSC next season. I know its probably a cliché, but when I played here with Dundalk in 2022 in the FAI Cup, the place was rocking. So I can’t wait to be a home player in front of that."
