Felix Healy

Early career

Healy spent six months with Preston North End as a teenager without ever signing a contract. He began his senior career in the Sligo Rovers first-team as a teenager in 1974 before he transferred to Distillery in 1976. The club were suffering and without a ground, and Healy did not even spend a full season with the club as results continually went against them. In March 1977, he was back in the League of Ireland with Finn Harps. He matured as a player with Harps; his impressive performances helped to bring home runners-up medals in the League of Ireland and Tyler All-Ireland Cup. He played against Everton in the UEFA Cup.

Port Vale

In October 1978, English Fourth Division club Port Vale paid £8,000 for his services. He had been scouted by Danny Maher. He was signed by manager Dennis Butler and dropped by Butler's successor, Alan Bloor. Les Shannon had been an adviser at the club, and quit from his position after Bloor dropped Healy against his advice. Bloor then tried to play Healy in a free role as a number ten, but resigned after three months in charge. His replacement, John McGrath did not get along with Healy, though he was still keen to keep him on at Vale Park. His brother had died and his mother was ill, so Healy returned across the Irish Sea, after being signed by Coleraine manager Victor Hunter in July 1980.

Coleraine

His form with the "Bannsiders" during the 1981–82 campaign brought the club to the verge of an Irish League…

Healy made his international debut in an experimental line-up which drew with Scotland in the British Home Championship and won his second cap the following month as Northern Ireland finished their World Cup preparations in the worst of fashions, with a 3–0 defeat by Wales. Healy did enough to impress Billy Bingham, who included him in the 1982 World Cup squad for Spain. He played once at the finals, coming on as substitute for Martin O'Neill in a 1–1 draw with Honduras. He became the first and only Irish League player to play in a World Cup Finals match. He won his fourth and final cap in the first post-World Cup game, Northern Ireland losing 2–0 in Austria. He was a regular choice for the Irish League. He won three caps – in a 3–3 draw with OFK Beograd (representing the Yugoslav League) in 1982, and twice against the League of Ireland, a 4–0 win (in which he scored) in 1984 and a 2–1 defeat in 1986.

In October 1993, Healy returned to Coleraine as player-manager, taking over from Willie McFaul and back to Derry as manager in December 1994. His team lost the 1994–95 league title after a penalty was missed in their final game. They went on to win the 1996–97 title by ten points. In under four seasons in charge at the Brandywell Stadium, Healy led Derry to League and FAI Cup successes before resigning in 1998. Healy remained outside football until becoming a surprise appointment as Finn Harps boss in May 2004. Lifting the club out of the doldrums, his first season at Finn Park saw the club promoted as champions of the First Division. However, the club struggled to make an impact in the Premier League the following season, and he was sacked in July 2005.

Whilst playing in Northern Ireland, Healy served a four-year apprenticeship as a butcher and spent nights as a club singer. He appeared as a football pundit on Setanta Sports and as Station Manager for Drive105.3FM, also acting as a sports reporter for local network, Channel 9. He once starred in a local production of Grease and sang numerous club songs for Derry during his time there.