Ciaron Harkin
Northern Irish footballer (born 1996)
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Ciaron "Jackie" Harkin (born 15 January 1996) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers. He previously played for Derry City (over two spells), Institute and Coleraine.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ciaron Harkin | ||
| Date of birth | 15 January 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Derry, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sligo Rovers | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2014 | Trojans | ||
| 2014–2015 | Derry City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015 | Derry City | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Institute | ||
| 2017–2019 | Coleraine | 71 | (4) |
| 2019–2025 | Derry City | 97 | (6) |
| 2024 | → Coleraine (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2025– | Sligo Rovers | 9 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:06, 3 February 2026 (UTC) | |||
Career
Youth career
Derry man Harkin grew up supporting Derry City and joined the club's under-19's as a 17 year old from local club Trojans in 2014.[1]
Derry City
On 31 May 2015, Harkin made his senior debut for Derry City in a 3–0 win away to Edenderry Town in the FAI Cup.[2] He made his league debut on 5 June 2015 in a 3–0 defeat at home to St Patrick's Athletic.[3]
Institute
In July 2015, Harkin joined NIFL Championship club Institute, where he played for a season and a half.[4]
Coleraine
On 8 January 2017, Harkin signed for NIFL Premiership club Coleraine on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[5][6][7] On 4 October 2017, he signed a new contract with the club running to the summer of 2020.[8] On 5 May 2018, he was part of the side that won the 2017–18 Irish Cup by beating Cliftonville 3–1 at Windsor Park.[9]
Return to Derry City
On 30 December 2018, it was announced that Harkin had returned to Derry City on a two-year contract, as part of a swap deal that saw Ben Doherty moving in the opposite direction.[10] On 14 September 2019, he featured in the 2019 League of Ireland Cup final as his side were beaten in a penalty shootout by Dundalk, despite scoring his penalty in the shootout.[11] On 29 March 2024, he made his first appearance in nearly two years in a 1–0 defeat at home to Galway United, having recovered from his two separate Anterior cruciate ligament injuries.[12][13] On 29 July 2024, Harkin returned to former club Coleraine on loan until January 2025.[14]
Sligo Rovers
On 29 July 2025, it was announced that Harkin had signed for fellow League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers until the end of the season, with the option of an additional 12 month contract.[15]
International career
He was called up to the Northern Ireland U21 team in March 2018, remaining an unused substitute on 26 March 2018 in a 0–0 draw at home to Iceland U21.[16]
Personal life
Harkin is nicknamed "Jackie" since childhood, after martial artist Jackie Chan, as he was told he was a good fighter as a child.[17]
Career statistics
- As of match played on 1 November 2025[18]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Derry City | 2015 | LOI Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| Institute | 2015–16 | NIFL Championship | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 2[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Coleraine | 2016–17 | NIFL Premiership | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 44 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | 23 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 28 | 0 | |||
| Total | 71 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 87 | 4 | ||
| Derry City | 2019 | LOI Premier Division | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2020 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 1[d] | 0 | – | 21 | 1 | ||||
| 2021 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 35 | 1 | |||||
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[g] | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[g] | 0 | 0[h] | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0[i] | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 97 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 107 | 7 | ||
| Coleraine (loan) | 2024–25 | NIFL Premiership | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 0 | ||
| Sligo Rovers | 2025 | LOI Premier Division | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 11 | 0 | |||||
| Career total | 196 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 232 | 11 | ||
- Appearances in the 2016 NIFL Premiership Playoffs
- Appearance(s) in the UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in the NIFL Charity Shield
- Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
- Appearance(s) in the UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearance in the President of Ireland's Cup
- Appearance(s) in the UEFA Conference League