David Byrne

Who was David Byrne?

David Byrne is a former Irish football player who played as a forward.

Nicknamed Babby as he was the youngest of 11 and born in Dublin, he joined Shamrock Rovers in 1926 and had four spells at Glenmalure Park. He also played for Bradford City, Shelbourne, Sheffield United, Manchester United, Coleraine, Glentoran and Larne.

Byrne won three senior caps for the Irish Free State making a scoring debut as a Shels player on 20 April 1929 in a 4–0 friendly win against Belgium at Dalymount Park. As a Rovers player he played against Spain at the same venue on 13 December 1931. His last cap was as a Coleraine player in a World Cup qualifier against Belgium, also at Dalymount, on 25 February 1934.

He was top scorer in the League with 17 goals when Rovers went unbeaten capturing their third League Championship in 1926–27. This was his and the club's first season at Glenmalure Park. He was Rovers' top scorer the following season and in his second spell in 1929–30 and 1930–31.

In between, he had a spell with Shelbourne where he again finished top scorer with 15 goals in their second League winning season. He won four FAI Cup medals in a row scoring in the finals in 1930, the 1931 replay, the 1933 final and replay. In all he scored 85 League and 13 FAI Cup goals for the Hoops. He is the sixth-highest goalscorer in Rovers' history.