Alan Kirby

Early career

As a youngster, Kirby played for Johnville in the Waterford Schoolboys League. In the summer of 1994, as a 16-year-old, he went to England to join Premier League club Aston Villa. He was a regular in the youth team for two seasons, made his debut for the reserves in the 1995–96 season, and played not infrequently at that level for a further two years.

Waterford United

Kirby returned to Ireland, signed for Waterford United in 1998, and made his League of Ireland debut against Bohemians at the Waterford Regional Sports Centre on 29 January 1999. His first senior goal opened the scoring as Waterford beat Dundalk 2–0 on 16 April, and his second, a "glorious 20-yard volley that simply flew past" the goalkeeper, was the only goal of the game against fellow relegation candidates Bray Wanderers a few days later and made a significant contribution to Waterford retaining their Premier Division status. Available on a free transfer at the end of the season, Kirby returned to England for a trial with Hartlepool United which came to nothing. He rejoined Waterford for the 1999–2000 League of Ireland season, but the club struggled to score, finished tenth in the league, and had to play off against Kilkenny City for a place in the next season's Premier Division. Waterford lost the first leg 1–0, and their ill-fortune in front of goal continued in the second. Kirby shot against the post in the first half, and missed a chance in the second, and Derek McGrath…

Kirby was capped for Ireland under-16s while a Johnville player in 1994. He was a member of the under-18 team that qualified for the 1996 UEFA Youth Championship finals in Luxembourg, and played in the finals. Ireland finished third in their group, so qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia. Kirby was an unused substitute for Ireland's opening fixture, against Ghana, but played in their remaining matches as they became the first and, as of 2017, only Irish side to win a medal at a FIFA World Cup at any age agroup. Played in by Robbie Ryan early in the match, Kirby's failure to score was, according to the Irish Times, "the product of good goalkeeping rather than poor finishing", and Colin Hawkins headed wide from his cross with only a few minutes left, as Ireland lost 1–0 to Argentina in the semifinal. He was a first-half substitute as Ireland defeated Ghana in the third-place match to win the bronze medal. Those two matches were televised live in Ireland, and the players became well known as their progress was followed by RTÉ's magazine programme The Soccer Show. Kirby made his only appearance at under-21 level as a substitute in a 3–0 defeat against the Czech Republic in March 1998.

According to Kirby's profile on the St Patrick's Athletic website, he "can play anywhere across the midfield and chips in with his fair share of goals." He has been used most often as a right-sided winger, though he said he liked playing in the centre of midfield because on the wing, "sometimes the game will pass you by and you're relying on other people to get you into the game." Ahead of the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship semifinal, manager Brian Kerr was reportedly considering using him in a man-marking role. In 2001, the Galway Advertiser wrote that his "blistering pace is an invaluable asset when his side is on the break." He combined creativity with industry. An RTÉ match report in 2008 claimed that "the workrate and creativity of Pat's centre midfield pairing of Alan Kirby and Keith Fahey can't be underestimated". And the Sligo Champion's preview of a 2011 FAI Cup quarter-final summed him up as "a tireless worker with an eye for a defence splitting pass and an ability to ghost into dangerous attacking positions".

Kirby was born in Waterford, the son of former Waterford United player and assistant manager Dave Kirby and his wife Angela. He married Caitriona Norton, and as of May 2018, the couple had two daughters, Leah and Lauren. Kirby started a degree in business studies at Dublin City University in 2007, alongside his football career. After completing his studies, he began a career in tax consultancy in Dublin.