From Longford to the British Virgin Islands - The Darren McGarry Story

There aren’t many people who’ve played with Longford Town and ended up coaching in the British Virgin Islands five years later. Darren McGarry fits that role.

The Dubliner was part of the management team of an undefeated Republic of Ireland under-19s group, as well as playing a part in the inaugural under-19 elite underage league as a player.

His next stop will be somewhat more exotic, as he jets off to the Caribbean to become a development officer and under-15s head coach with the British Virgin Islands FA.

The 24-year-old began his League of Ireland career with Longford Town under-19s where, as a keeper, he trained with Paul Hunt and Chris Bennion.

Bennion is the current Bohemians goalkeeping coach who’s recently seen two of his players called up to the Republic of Ireland squad in the shape of Shane Supple and James Talbot.

Armed with coaching of this level, McGarry ended up at Dundalk, after a spell with Leinster Senior League side St Pat’s CY, and he started in goal for the Lilywhites’ under-19s in their opening fixture of the elite underage league in September 2014.

Speaking to extratime.ie about the experience, he talked about the intensity of the training and how much the players pushed each other on.

“It was obvious when you came to training that you came to work hard,” he said.

“The biggest shock was how well they trained and how much everyone pushed each other in training.”

Playing with the under19s, he spoke about the importance of proving yourself, how Stephen Kenny watched the games on a regular basis and how the culture at the club created leaders.”

Pursuing a coaching career, however, wasn’t part of his plan.

“I never knew what I wanted to be bar a footballer, not even a coach. The plan was to continue to train with Dundalk and do the ETB course in Ringsend with Gerry Davis.

“I did better in my Leaving [Cert] than I expected and the opportunity to go straight into IT Carlow came up so I took that.”

He went on to speak about how he became gradually more interested in the coaching aspect of the game during his second year at the college as it came to look a more realistic career opportunity for him than playing.

McGarry acquired a number of coaching roles, both at Longford Town and with IT Carlow’s women’s team to aid his off-field development.

At IT Carlow, under the tutelage of experienced mentors such as Paul O’Reilly, Tom Elmes, Luke Hardy and Ger Dunne, students are given the opportunity to start their coaching badges, and McGarry grabbed it with both hands.

“I would have started coaching Longford Town as an assistant coach towards the end of second year and the thing that pushed that was knowing that I was going to be doing my UEFA B (Licence) the following year.

“I wanted to make sure that I was coaching at a good level, that I’d be able to push on and do well in my UEFA B (Licence).”

He managed the 'C' team the following year, moving to the IT Carlow ladies team, before obtaining a head coach role in the Longford Town underage setup.

It was during his studies that he received a phone call from Mark Connors of the FAI – a former acquaintance of McGarry’s – to carry out the role of an assistant analyst for the Republic of Ireland’s Victory Shield squad, despite his initial protestations,

“I said: ‘I don’t think that’s for me. I’m a coach not an analyst. I wouldn’t be able to step in there because I haven’t done it before.’

“Now obviously we’d have covered it in college but I was very naïve at the time. He [Connors] persuaded me and it was great to work in an international camp with the under-16s and Paul Osam.”

He clearly revelled in the position and has gone on to work for the Irish under-18s stewarded by Jim Crawford and the all-conquering under-19s, who went through 2018 unbeaten.

They are currently preparing for the European Championships in Armenia under the guidance of Tom Mohan and Mick Neville, McGarry’s former Under 19s coach at Dundalk.

Despite working and managing players at an elite level, as well as playing in colleges finals himself, the former St Mochta’s and Trim Celtic netminder is effusive in his praise of third level football in Ireland.

“I think a lot of credit should go to the colleges for taking it so seriously and putting such thought. It gives players an opportunity to push on and play at a level where they can get into the League of Ireland.

“Outside of the elite players, it’s also a good opportunity for those who play recreationally or with local clubs. It gives them an opportunity to train with better players and provides them with an environment where they can push on.”

It’s this acknowledgement that players are continually developing which gives an insight into his mindset as a development officer with the British Virgin Islands, a role that came about through both his college and FAI experience.

He’s also in charge of the under-15 national side and is heading to their CONCACAF tournament this summer.

Put to him that surely he must be the first Irishman to have such an achievement on his CV, he cited a couple of native Irishmen (John O Reilly and Paul Whelan) already in situ in the region.

He also pointed out that former Tottenham Hotspur manager André Vilas-Boas cut his teeth at the British Virgin Islands before embarking upon his European coaching at Porto.

Throughout the interview McGarry frequently referred to the importance of hard work and it’s clear, based on this level of research, that this isn’t merely empty rhetoric.

He’s blazed a trail so far in his fledging career involving both coaching and analysis yet approached every answer with a sense of maturity, humility and reflection, traits which have served him well and will, no doubt, continue to do so in his exciting new role.