There’s a fair weight to carry for any midfielder brave enough to wear the Bohemian No. 4 shirt. Such is the reverence with which a certain captain from Kent, England is still spoken about. But Leitrim native and ex-Sligo Rover Niall Morahan is going to give it his best shot.
One of the best on show on his debut for the club at the Aviva Stadium, Morahan has settled well into the red and black. His footballing journey began in his native county with Carrick Town and then on to Strand Celtic in Sligo before he headed to The Showgrounds to the U15 academy. After three years in the Rovers fold, he graduated to the U19 side before a first team breakthrough in 2018, ironically coming off the bench to replace Kris Twardek in a 3-1 win over Treaty United.
He was to make five appearances for the first team that season before becoming a regular in 2019 where he featured 27 times in the league. He was made club captain in 2024 and amassed nearly 160 appearances before his transfer last November. Along the way, he has been capped twice by Ireland at under19 level making his debut as a substitute against Azerbaijan in Russia and then a full 90 minutes against the host nation a few days later. It hasn’t been the smoothest of starts as a Bohs player but wins over Shamrock Rovers and Waterford in particular have been highlights so far.
16 February 2025; Niall Morahan of Bohemians during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
“It’s not been the start we’d have hoped for,” he admits ruefully, speaking before last week’s reverse against Galway “but it’s a very long season and we’ll turn it around. Things haven’t gone our way in a few games but we can’t sit and feel sorry for ourselves.
“At Richmond Park, St. Pat’s took their chances, we didn’t. We were even in every stat except the one that matters most. The goals we conceded were avoidable, we were all very disappointed.”
He continues, “I think the game against Rovers and in Waterford showed glimpses of what we’re capable of. The Lansdowne game was an unbelievable experience, my first Dublin derby and to do it in front of the biggest crowd ever, at the national stadium and to cap it off with a win made it a very special day. What was most pleasing about the Waterford game is how we dug in second half, and I feel it was our most complete performance so far.”
Although back in midfield against Galway, Niall had found himself playing at centre-half in a few games lately, not an altogether new position for him. “I played there a few times for Sligo,” he smiles, “but I’m a centre-midfielder, that’s where I see myself and that’s where the staff here see me too. But I am happy to do a job for the team wherever I’m needed. Look, if you’re playing you can’t be upset about where on the pitch can you?!
16 February 2025; Niall Morahan of Bohemians after the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
“What I’ll also say,” he adds, “is that anyone in this league can beat anyone else, look at the table and the results so far. Nobody has had it all their own way, everyone has had setbacks. It’s a cliché I know but everyone is going to take points off everyone else. If you get a few wins in a row you’ll shoot up the table. I expect things will take shape in the next few weeks so we’ve got to be where we need to be when it does.”
Alan Reynolds commented that Niall was established at Sligo, was integral to their side, indeed was a captain of renown, yet he still chose to up sticks and challenge himself elsewhere, never content to rest on laurels or in his comfort zone.
“I found myself getting comfortable in Sligo if I’m honest. I loved my time there and it would have been very easy to stay. It was a tough decision to leave but I just felt it was time to try something new and look for a fresh challenge.
“I remember Raff Cretaro texting me when he heard Bohs were in for me, telling me what a great club Bohs were and how I’d be surrounded by good people here. I’m ambitious to achieve as much in my career as I can, it’s a short career too and because I had been at Sligo so long, I just felt I owed it to myself to experience something new.”
14 March 2025; Niall Morahan of Bohemians in action against Mason Melia of St Patrick’s Athletic during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians at Richmond Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Tonight, Niall welcomes his old friends from the NorthWest to Dalymount for what promises to be a very special night for him. “I’ve been really looking forward to it, but I can’t deny it will be a strange feeling! My friendships and love for Sligo will be parked for 90 minutes though! I built up a lot of connections there and it was a very special time in my career. They are a quality side and will be a tough test for us. I’ve watched a few of their games and a bit like ourselves, I feel they should have a few more points than they have if things had broken differently for them,
“Having been there for so long, I know exactly how they’ll be thinking in that dressing room, determined to come up to Dublin and make a statement. We’ll have to be at our best to stop them from doing so.”
Bohs is another club with a passionate support and a very high degree of volunteerism and fan involvement, not unlike Sligo. Niall’s opening impressions of the club – its fans, ethos and outlook – have been very positive.
“The two clubs are very similar. They are both fanowned and rooted in their communities. I think there’s a different feel to these two clubs than the ones with the big financial backers. It’s the tight-knit community feel that I love most about both. I’ve seen for years all the initiatives Sligo fans engage in to keep their club going, how much they love and care for their club and the homely feel there is. I felt that Bohs were going to be the same and I’ve not been disappointed.” He has joined a very competitive squad with plenty of midfielders to rival him for a start in the side. But competition is to be embraced as far as Niall is concerned and is to the benefit of the squad as a whole and his own personal development.
“That’s why I came here,” he says matter-of-factly. “I wanted to prove myself at a different club and to get into a team this good and this competitive. This is my first move, remember! Alan Reynolds told me when I met him, ‘We know what you can do, just come here and keep doing it’! But no matter what job you do, you want to improve yourself and the players we have would get into any team in the country.
14 March 2025; Niall Morahan of Bohemians before the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians at Richmond Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
“I played with Adam McDonnell in Sligo so it’s been great to rekindle that midfield relationship we had,” he adds. “Myself and Adam had some good European nights in the heart of the Sligo midfield so it has been great to have such a familiar face when I landed here. He’s a great lad, a real leader on the feld. We have lots of leaders in this group, you don’t need the armband to be a leader, and I feel that’s important. We’ve a lot of very experienced players in this league who know it inside out. Allied to the lads who’ve joined from outside and the exciting youngsters making the step up, I think that this is an exciting time for the club, something that’ll hopefully be borne out in the weeks to come.”
Niall is confident that $ohs have what it takes to rise up in the table. There’s a lot of experience in signings like John Mountney, Lys Mousset, Conor Parsons and himself, as well as the raw passion and exuberance of youth in the likes of Seán Grehan and Kian Best.
“Definitely, I’ve no doubt about it. We’re only seven games into a thirty six game season and the belief in the squad is very strong. Every team has had setbacks so far, every team has found it tough, such is the competitiveness of the league. A few early bad results will not change my view on that. “We are all as driven in the dressing room as the fans are and we want to get Bohs where the club belongs. Youngsters like Seán Grehan, James McManus, Dawson and Rossi, Rhys Brennan, they’ve all come up through the ranks here and know what the club is about. It was the same for me when I was at Sligo.”
The fans here have taken him to their hearts already, it probably helps that he’s scampering around covering every midfield blade of grass with the number 4 on his back, but whatever it is, personally it’s been a solid start for him.
“The supporters have been amazing and I’m really looking forward to every Friday night at Dalymount. The atmosphere and the support always stood out to me in the years I was coming up here with Sligo. And on that shirt number, the first thing Alan Reynolds did when I met him was tell me I was getting the No.4. He told me all about what an amazing player Kevin Hunt was, one of the best midfielders the club has ever had. He told me that the fans here would see my work-rate and energy while wearing that number. There’s a bit of pressure in having a number that is special to a club but I thrive on that; that kind of pressure is why I made the move in the first place.”
He continues, “The plans for the new stadium look very impressive and I’m sure it will be a brilliant time for the club when we do get the new facility. But what I love most about the place since I arrived is how the club is so much more than just the eleven players on the pitch on Fridays. It’s the community feeling and the values the club has, and I am really grateful for the support I’ve received since I came here.”