Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh (born 11 May 2005) is an Irish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for club

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Club career

Cork City

He started his career at Fermoy F.C. before joining

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

academy in 2019. He signed a professional contract with Cork in 2021. He made his senior debut for Cork City in March 2023 and played for the club in the

2023 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 39th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs sinc ...

Southampton

He joined

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

in January 2024 from Cork City for an undisclosed fee. He was included in Southampton's match-day squad for the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

tie against

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

on 28 August 2024, making his debut as a second-half substitute.

Accrington Stanley (loan)

On 3 February 2025, O'Brien-Whitmarsh joined League Two side

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...

on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. He made his debut for the club on 8 February 2025 in a 0–0 home draw with

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

. On 4 March 2025, he scored his first goal in English football during a 2–0 home win over

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

. The following week, he scored another two goals, credited with a brace in a 5-0 home league win over Newport County on 11 March 2025.

International career

He has been capped by the Republic of Ireland at under-19 level. In November 2024, he received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad for their two friendlies against Sweden U21 in

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. He made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Sweden on 14 November 2024.

Personal life

He is the son of former

Cobh Ramblers Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) is an Irish football club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colman's Park. The club's colours are clare ...

striker Paul Whitmarsh.

Career statistics

Club

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien-Whitmarsh, Joe 2005 births Living people Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Cork City F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Accrington Stanley F.C. players League of Ireland players English Football League players Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Irish sportsmen