Irish Professional Footballers Benevolent Association

Irish Professional Footballers Benevolent Association Supporting former professional footballers in Ireland with their health, wellbeing, and welfare.

Hilary ‘Hilda’ Carlyle, a key figure in the halcyon Jim McLaughlin era at Dundalk and a striker who put the fear of God ...
31/05/2026

Hilary ‘Hilda’ Carlyle, a key figure in the halcyon Jim McLaughlin era at Dundalk and a striker who put the fear of God in even the toughest League of Ireland defenders, was a fitting recipient of the club’s most recent Hall of Fame Award at Oriel Park on Friday night.

Derry native Hilary was a huge crowd favourite during his time at Dundalk, having starred with Finn Harps before that. The archetypal barnstorming centre-forward, he lifted the Lilywhites to new heights in the late seventies and early eighties, netting 40 goals in just over 100 appearances.

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬: Read all about Hilary's colourful career (including his intervention between two all-time greats in the States!!) and immense impact on domestic football here → https://ipfba.org/2026/05/31/cult-hero-hilary/

The award was organised by Dundalk FC (thanks to Padraig McGowan) and the Irish Professional Footballers Benevolent Association.

The IPFBA was delighted to be involved in co-sponsoring two recent very worthy inductees to the Dundalk FC Hall of Fame,...
25/05/2026

The IPFBA was delighted to be involved in co-sponsoring two recent very worthy inductees to the Dundalk FC Hall of Fame, both absolute titans of the League of Ireland:

𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 — The legendary fearless shot-stopper who guarded Dundalk’s net across 400 games, Richie collected no fewer than 13 honours during his time at Oriel Park, including three league titles and three FAI Cups, plus two Player of the Year awards.
➤ Read more: https://ipfba.org/2026/05/02/richie-fame-award/

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗼𝗿 — A true Lilywhites icon and left-back in a defence known as “The Mean Machine”, Martin personified the Lilywhites’ spirit and grit. He made 570 appearances across 17 seasons and won multiple trophies with ‘The Town’, including two doubles.
➤ Read more: https://ipfba.org/2026/05/10/dundalk-icon-martin/

The IPFBA is encouraging other League of Ireland clubs to follow in Dundalk’s footsteps to recognise their own legends.

🏌️‍♂️ By any measure, the third annual Irish Professional Footballers Benevolent Association Golf Classic was a spectacu...
23/05/2026

🏌️‍♂️ By any measure, the third annual Irish Professional Footballers Benevolent Association Golf Classic was a spectacular success. ⛳️

No fewer than 42 teams from all over Ireland flocked to Castleknock Golf Club for this fundraiser last Friday week. A massive thank you to Niall Quinn for hosting the event, his fellow IPFBA patron John Giles for his ever-popular presence, and to our dedicated local organising committee (spearheaded by Alan O'Neill), all the players, sponsors, and supporters from the business and football community who made the day – and night – such a memorable one. Your collective support was humbling and shows the goodwill that exists for former players across Ireland.

We’ve included a few snapshots here – including birthday boy Pat Byrne “breaking 70”! – but you can find the full event wrap-up and lots more great photos on our website (click link).

╰┈➤ https://ipfba.org/2026/05/18/castleknock-classic/

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