Keith Dunne (born 10 February 1982) is an Irish footballer. Dunne is a versatile right sided winger who can play on either wing and he also has experience playing as a striker.

Career

Keith was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and played with junior side, Verona, before moving to the United States to take up a place on a soccer scholarship in 1999. There, he played college football in Atlanta, before returning home to Dublin where he played with another junior club, Ashtown Villa. Keith was quickly snapped up by then St. Patrick's Athletic manager, Eamon Collins in March 2003, and made a number of appearances for the Saints over three seasons in the Premier Division. During his time with Pats, he played in the 2003

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

Final against

Longford Town Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...

, a game they lost 2–0. Earlier that season Dunne played a part in beating the same opposition helping Pats to victory in the 2003

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...

Final. Dunne, with over 70 appearances under his belt in the top flight, then left

Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks, and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, C ...

in January 2006 to spend time with his family in America, before once again returning to his native shores. And he soon found himself back in the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

, when ex-St. Pats coach, Gerry Scully invited the Blanchardstown-based player to join him at

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

. In his first season at Dundalk, he helped the club to second place in the 2006 First Division and a 3–2 playoff win over

Waterford United Waterford Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Phort Láirge) formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland First Division. The club was founded and elected to the ...

. In the 2007 season, Dunne again was a regular in the Dundalk first team helping them to the top of the table by mid-season. However, a decline in Dundalk's form saw the Lilywhites finish 3rd in the First Division table and they were eventually defeated by

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...

in a one off 2nd vs 3rd place play-off to decide who would play

for a Premier Division spot. Dunne was released at the end of the 2007 season by Dundalk but within a week he signed for Shelbourne on 29 November 2007. Dunne made his Shelbourne debut during a

1st round tie on 24 March 2008 against

Sporting Fingal Sporting Fingal Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fine Gall Spórtúil) was an Irish association football club based in Fingal. Between 2008 and 2010, the club played three seasons in the League of Ireland. During their first two seasons they pl ...

Morton Stadium Morton Stadium, or the National Athletics Stadium, is an athletics stadium in Santry Demesne, Santry in Ireland. Often called Santry Stadium, it is the centre for athletics events in Dublin city and the home track of Clonliffe Harriers. It has ...

, a match Shelbourne won 6–5 on penalties after a 2–2 draw after extra-time. He scored his first Shelbourne goal during a 5–0 league victory over

Kildare County Kildare County F.C. ( ga, Cumann Peile Chontae Chill Dara) was an Irish association football club based in Newbridge, County Kildare. Between 2002–03 and 2009 they played in the League of Ireland First Division. During this time they also e ...

Tolka Park Tolka Park ( ga, Páirc na Tulchann) is an Irish football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne. The stadium fo ...

on 16 May 2008.Report: Shelbourne 5 – 0 Kildare County
→ www.extratime.ie Dunne departed Shelbourne mid-way through the 2008 season. He made 11 league and cup appearances for Shels, scoring 1 goal in the process. He later joined Leinster Senior League side

Phoenix F.C. A.F.C. Phoenix is a football club based in Brinsworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Pavilion Lane. History The club originated as Steel, Peech and Tozer, the works team of the steel maki ...

before moving on to Tolka Rovers and Glebe North. In July 2011 Keith joined Athletic Union League Premier A side Corduff FC where he was appointed Captain from his first pre-season game. Dunne started the season in flying form scoring goals on a regular basis for Corduff. In November on the back of some excellent performances for both Corduff and the AUL Oscar Traynor Panel where he scored 6 goals in 2 games he was "approached" by follow AUL Side

Sheriff Y.C. Sheriff Youth Club is an Irish association football club based in Sheriff Street, Dublin. Their senior team plays in the Athletic Union League. They have also competed in the FAI Cup, the FAI Junior Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. History In ...

to join them, he transferred to YC in Dec 2011 but has yet to play any games for them due to Injury. In January 2012 rumours have started that Dunne may return to Corduff for the rest of the season due to differences with the Manager of YC. Cousin of

Jason McGuinness Jason McGuinness (born 8 August 1982) is an Irish footballer. Career McGuinness played at youth level for Tolka Rovers, Sheriff Y.C. and Bohemians before graduating to the Bohs first team, making his league debut as a substitute against UCD ...

Honours

: 1 ** 2003 – St. Patrick's Athletic

References

External links

Keith Dunne' profile at www.shelbournefc.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Keith Living people 1982 births Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Association footballers from County Dublin League of Ireland players Shelbourne F.C. players Dundalk F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players Thomas University alumni Tolka Rovers F.C. players Men's association football wingers