Bohemians have signed midfielder Brian McManus from Shelbourne ahead of Friday's league opener against Sligo Rovers.
McManus came through at St Kevin's before spending two years at Preston North End, returning to Ireland to play for Shelbourne in 2020.
"Brian ticks all the boxes and, for a player of his age, has a lot of experience and has already played a lot of games in the League of Ireland," said Bohs manager, Declan Devine.
"He is a player that really impressed me any time I watched him for Shelbourne last season and he gives us real qualities in the middle of the park where we needed to strengthen in terms of his defensive qualities.
"I feel we have great competition for places in midfield now and in Brian we have a very talented young player who is really looking to push on now.
"We had him in at training today and he was a breath of fresh air, and we are really looking forward to working with him."
"I am absolutely delighted to sign for Bohs," said McManus. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind but I am delighted to be here.
"I grew up playing with Dawson Devoy and Ross Tierney at St Kevin's so I know a lot about the club from following them."
Earlier, Dundalk announced the arrival of central defender Zak Johnson on loan from English side Sunderland, pending international clearance.
The 19-year-old is their fourth loan signing and 11th new arrival ahead of the start of the 2024 SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division campaign.
"When Sunderland agreed that I should go and get some minutes elsewhere, I set up a Zoom call with the gaffer here and Brian Gartland and I was hooked straight away," said Johnson.
"I know for my development that I need to play first-team football and I think this will be a great opportunity for me to take a big step forward in my career."
Johnson joined his hometown club as an eight-year-old and became the youngest outfield player to play for Sunderland in 50 years when he made his debut in a Papa John's Trophy clash with Manchester United in October 2021 at the age of 16.
After signing a professional deal with the English Championship club in 2022, he made his first start in a Carabao Cup tie with Crewe Alexandra and captained the England Under-18 side at a tournament in Portugal in the summer of 2023.
Johnson spent time on loan at Hartlepool United from September to January, making 12 appearances for the National League side.
"Zak has had first-team experience already this season with Hartlepool and he captained England U18s last summer which is a great achievement considering the wealth of talent at underage level," said Lilywhites head coach Stephen O’Donnell.
"Physically, he is a big specimen and he has a good personality and we are looking forward to having him in the group."
Yesterday Dundalk signed goalkeeper George Shelvey from Nottingham Forest on a permanent deal.
Waterford FC have signed defender Grant Horton from EFL League One side Cheltenham Town.
The centre-back joins the Blues from the Robins, where he began his career in 2018.
Horton featured for Cheltenham Cheltenham in two divisions in the Football League.
Most recently, the 22-year-old spent the first-half of both 2022 and 2023 on loan with Bohemians, making over 30 appearances during his time there.
It was Keith Long who brought Horton to Dalymount Park initially at the beginning of 2022 while Long at the club.
The Blues manager said: "Grant is a player I have worked with in the past. He's got Premier Division experience [with Bohemians], he’s coming to us at a good age. He needed to get out and play football – regular first-team football – and that’s what he has at the opportunity of coming here to Waterford to do that, so we’re delighted to have him.
"He’s aggressive, he likes a tackle, he’s quick, he’s strong, he has a decent passing range, he’s good on the ball. He’ll bring all that to the table. I think he’s something slightly different to what we have already within the squad. He’s someone that will excite the fans at the RSC this season no doubt.
"I’m delighted to get this over the line, and I think Grant is a big signing for us. He already understands and knows how I want to play, how the team plays. I definitely think his aggression and his quality will certainly add to us and we’ll need that in the Premier Division for the year ahead."
