Darren O'Keeffe was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 soccer player who was born in Dublin on 29 August 1978.

Early career

Darren played his schoolboy football for Kilmore Boys, Grange Woodbine and Belvedere. It was at Belvedere that he was spotted by Millwall

Millwall F.C.

Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

 and went over to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on a trial. He impressed but while Millwall dithered over a contract offer, Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town F.C.

Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

 swooped to bring him to Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

. He made good progress in the reserves but things turned sour for him at the McAlpine Stadium

Galpharm Stadium

The Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:...

 and he was on the verge of a move to Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle F.C.

Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...

 when his appendix burst and the move was scuppered. After returning home, Hull City

Hull City A.F.C.

Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

 made him an offer of a 6 month contract and Darren returned to England. He began well under Terry Dolan but when Dolan was replaced by Mark Hateley

Mark Hateley

Mark Wayne Hateley is a retired English football player who played as a centre-forward. He was capped 32 times for the English national team , and played in top-level football leagues in England, Italy, France and Scotland...

, O'Keeffe soon left.

League of Ireland

His first club in the League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 was Drogheda United

Drogheda United

Drogheda United Football Club is an Irish football club currently playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club hails from Drogheda, Ireland and, since 1979, plays its home matches at Hunky Dorys Park....

 under the stewardship of Martin Lawlor. The club was promoted in Darren's first season there and some fine performances in the Premier Division saw the bigger clubs taking notice.

O'Keeffe signed for Bohemians in the summer of 2000 from Drogheda United. The tough tacking midfielder made his debut for the "Gypsies" against Aberdeen

Aberdeen F.C.

Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...

 in the UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

. He wrote himself into Bohemian folklore by winning the penalty in the last minute of the game which gave Bohs a famous 2-1 win in Pittodrie.http://www.rte.ie/sport/2000/0810/soccer1.html The return leg was not as good for Darren as he received a red card in the first half but Bohs held on to go through on away goals. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw with Derry City F.C.

Derry City F.C.

Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...

 in December 2000 but after a training ground bust-up, he was sold to St Patricks Athletic before the end of the 2000/01 season.