Carrigaline’s Mark O’Mahony signs new deal at Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion 

Carrigaline’s Mark O’Mahony has committed his long-term future to Brighton & Hove Albion after signing a new contract with the club that will run until 2027.

The striker has scored ten goals and assisted two for the Seagulls this season in Premier League 2, and he was on the bench for the first team for six games recently.

This comes just a month after a first Republic of Ireland U21s call-up for O’Mahony, who did not feature against San Marino in a European qualifier.

Brighton technical director David Weir heaped praise on the striker after the deal was announced on Wednesday afternoon.

“Mark has done really well since joining us in January last year and we’re very happy with his progress. 

"We’re pleased to see him commit his future here,” he said.

“His form for the under-21s has seen his regular involvement with the men’s first-team squad, and this new contract is recognition of that.” 

The striker first made his name known by playing for Carrigaline United in the Cork Schoolboys and Youth Leagues, he even won a Golden Boot after scoring 38 goals for the club in 2018.

That earned him a place in the Cork City academy, and a place in various Republic of Ireland underage squads.

This was followed by the striker scoring three goals in three games during a European Championships qualifying tournament in Cork back in October 2021.

O’Mahony has also featured for the U18s and U19s, with the latter appearance producing a hattrick against Gibraltar.

2022 saw the young striker step into Cork City’s first team and he made a number of appearances for the side under Colin Healy. 

O’Mahony never got a goal that year, but he got to experience senior football for the first time and he finished the season with a First Division winner’s medal.

He capped off a stunning twelve months by getting named U17 Men’s International Player of the Year by the FAI.

The striker moved to Brighton at the start of 2023 and he wasted no time in asserting himself at Brighton, he marked his first game for the club by scoring and getting an assist in a 3-2 defeat to West Ham in Premier League 2.

O’Mahony quickly became a fan favourite inside one the most exciting academies in world football.

This is the place that nurtured a young Evan Ferguson, who broke through into the first team at Brighton and quickly became a senior Republic of Ireland international.

The Seagulls also produced Aaron Connolly, who currently plays for Hull City, and Andrew Moran, who is on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

O’Mahony is another success story from the Cork City academy, with the list of graduates including Crystal Palace’s Franco Umeh, Newcastle United’s Cathal Heffernan, and Burnley’s Alex Healy Byrne.