Ruairí Keating

Ruairí Thomas Keating (born 16 July 1995) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for League of Ireland Premier Division club St Patrick's Athletic. His previous clubs are Sligo Rovers, Finn Harps, Galway United, Torquay United, Gateshead and Cork City.

Early life
Born in Dublin, Keating grew up in Westport, County Mayo and played with local side Westport United. He joined Sligo Rovers U19 side in 2013, before signing his first professional contract with the club in 2014.

Sligo Rovers
Upon signing his first contract with Sligo Rovers in January 2014, Keating was sent out on loan to League of Ireland First Division side Finn Harps until the end of June 2014, in order to gain first team experience. Upon returning from his loan spell, he made his senior debut for the club on 7 July 2014, in a 0–0 draw with Cork City. On 17 July 2014, he made his first appearance in European football, coming off the bench in a 2–1 win away to Rosenborg BK in the UEFA Europa League. After spending the first half of the 2015 season back on loan at Finn Harps, Keating scored his first goal at senior level for Sligo on 30 October 2015, scoring a 91st minute consolation goal in a 3–2 defeat at home to Limerick.

Finn Harps loans
Keating signed for Finn Harps on a 6 month loan deal in February 2014. He made his debut in senior football in a 0–0 draw with Waterford United on the opening night of the season. His first goal at senior level came on 10 March 2014 in a 3–2 win over Cockhill Celtic in the League of Ireland Cup. He impressed during his loan spell, scoring 6 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions before returning to Sligo Rovers for the remainder of the season. Ahead of the 2015 League of Ireland First Division, Keating was again loaned to Finn Harps for the first half of the season. He scored 5 goals in 10 games in his second loan spell before again returning to his parent club for the second half of the season.

Galway United
On 18 January 2016, Keating signed a season long contract with Galway United. He scored his first goal for the club on 11 March 2016, scoring his sides 4th goal in a 4–0 win over Bray Wanderers. He departed the club midway through the season following 2 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions.

Finn Harps (third spell)
On 6 July 2016, Keating signed for fellow League of Ireland Premier Division side Finn Harps, where he had previously spent 2 loan spells in the past, on a permanent basis until the end of the season.

Torquay United
Keating made the move to English football on 9 February 2017, signing for National League side Torquay United. He featured 41 times in his first full season with the club, scoring 4 goals but it wasn’t enough to secure their league status, as the club were relegated to the National League South in April 2018. On 9 June 2018, Keating signed a new 1 year contract with the club. On 11 January 2019, he signed a contract extension with the club. He scored 5 goals during the 2018–19 season as his side won the National League South title. Keating departed the club in January 2020, after he saw his game time reduced following promotion back to the National League.

Gateshead
On 24 January 2020, Keating signed for National League North side Gateshead on a permanent basis, in search of regular first team football. He scored 2 goals in 11 appearances during his short time with the club, before departing by mutual consent in November 2020.

Galway United (second spell)
Keating returned to Ireland, signing for Galway United for the second time in his career, ahead of their 2021 League of Ireland First Division campaign. Keating scored 9 goals in 28 games in all competitions over the season, as Galway were knocked out of the playoffs by Bray Wanderers.

Cork City
Keating signed for Cork City for the 2022 season. His first season with the club was a success, as the club won the 2022 League of Ireland First Division title to gain promotion, with Keating finishing up as his side's top goalscorer with 13 league goals. On 9 December 2022, Keating signed a new contract with the club for their 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division campaign. On 12 July 2023, it was announced that Keating signed a new long term contract with the club. On 1 September 2023, Keating scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Sligo Rovers, dedicating his goals to his late father, who had recently died. His performances in September 2023 saw him named League of Ireland Player of the Month. On 10 November 2023, Keating was forced off at half time with an arm injury in the 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division Play-off as his side lost 2–1 to Waterford at Tallaght Stadium, resulting in relegation back to the League of Ireland First Division. On 15 November 2023, it was announced that Keating had been included in the PFAI Team of the Year and was also one of the 3 nominees for the PFAI Player of the Year award, alongside Chris Forrester and Jonathan Afolabi.

St Patrick's Athletic
On 23 November 2023, it was announced that Keating had signed for recent FAI Cup winners St Patrick's Athletic on a long term contract. He made his debut for the club on 3 February 2024, scoring two of his sides goals in a 3–1 win away to UCD in the Leinster Senior Cup. Keating scored his first goal for the club on 1 March 2024, opening the scoring away to Derry City at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. He scored his first home goal for the club on 8 March 2024, in a 1–0 win over Dundalk at Richmond Park. On 3 May 2024, he scored the only goal of the game to secure the win for his side at home to Drogheda United. On 24 May 2024, Keating suffered a nasty head injury in the very first action of the game in a 2–2 draw away to Bohemians when contesting a header with Aboubacar Keita, he was discharged from hospital the following day and missed a number of games through concussion. On 13 June 2024, he came off the bench in the 61st minute before scoring the equaliser 15 minutes later in an eventual 2–1 win at home to rivals Shamrock Rovers.

Personal life
He is the nephew of Boyzone singer Ronan Keating. As well as the Republic of Ireland, Keating is also eligible to represent the United States at international level, through his Queens, New York City born Grandmother. On 15 July 2023, Keating's father Ciaran was killed in a car crash on the N5, near Swinford, County Mayo, while travelling to Sligo to watch his son play for Cork City against Sligo Rovers. Keating's mother Ann Marie was also in the vehicle but survived the crash and was admitted to hospital for her injuries.

Honours
Torquay United
 * National League South: 2018–19

Cork City
 * League of Ireland First Division: 2022

Individual
 * League of Ireland Premier Division Player of the Month: September 2023
 * PFAI Team of the Year: 2023