From title wins to injury hell - when NI internationals move to the Irish Premiership

Niall McGinn's move to Glentoran continues a developing trend of Northern Ireland internationals joining Irish Premiership clubs in recent years.

McGinn, who returns to the Irish League 15 years after leaving Dungannon Swifts, hopes that his new chapter with the Glens will enable him to prolong his international career, having earned 72 caps for Northern Ireland to date.

The former Celtic and Aberdeen man will want to emulate some of his former international team-mates' success in the division while avoiding the injury troubles which have plagued some of the others.

With McGinn possibly turning out for the Glens against Larne on Saturday, we look at how six other Northern Ireland players have fared in the Irish Premiership over the last 15 years.

Keith Gillespie (Glentoran)

Gillespie won the League Cup during his one-year stint with the Glens

Keith Gillespie's switch to Glentoran sent shockwaves around the Irish League when he arrived at the Oval in 2009.

The former Manchester United, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers player had been with Bradford, where he failed to earn a new contract, before taking the decision to return to his homeland.

Gillespie won 86 caps for Northern Ireland and joined Glentoran in the midst of their financial issues, lifting the League Cup during his time in east Belfast.

He left after his one-year deal in east Belfast expired, going on to play for Darlington and Longford Town, calling time on his career in 2013, before coming out of retirement seven years later.

At the age of 45, he laced his boots again to play for a season at Mid-Ulster side FC Mindwell, Northern Ireland's first football club dedicated to helping people with mental health issues.

Paddy McCourt (Glenavon)

Paddy McCourt had a brief stint with Glenavon before moving to Finn Harps

Labelled in his hometown as the 'Derry Pele', McCourt had a brief stint in the Irish Premiership when he signed for Gary Hamilton's Glenavon on a one-year deal in the summer of 2016.

The former Celtic and Barnsley man joined the Lurgan Blues after being released by Luton Town, and lifted the Charity Shield on his debut as Glenavon overcame Crusaders, although he was forced off on 35 minutes with an injury.

The mercurial winger, who won 18 caps for his country, made just 12 appearances for Glenavon, scoring once before terminating his contract in December after failing to adapt to part-time football at Mourneview Park.

He would later sign for League of Ireland side Finn Harps, where he retired on a high in 2018 as he helped them earn promotion to the Premier Division.

Sammy Clingan (Glenavon)

Sammy Clingan enjoyed a much more fruitful spell in the Irish League than McCourt with both Linfield and Glenavon.

The 39-cap Northern Ireland midfielder joined the Blues in 2016 under the stewardship of his former international team-mate David Healy, after spending the previous season recovering from a knee injury sustained while playing for Kilmarnock.

He won the league at Windsor Park before joining Glenavon on a two-year deal and became a fan favourite during his first season at Mourneview Park thanks to his potency from dead-ball situations, hitting 12 goals as Hamilton's side sealed European qualification.

Persistent injuries led to long spells on the sidelines during the remainder of his time at the club, taking time away from the Lurgan Blues to recover from a calf problem, Clingan re-signed in December 2020 until the end of the season.

He started his first game in 11 months in a defeat by Linfield in January 2021, but suffered a knee injury which led to his retirement at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

Roy Carroll (Linfield & Dungannon Swifts)

Former Manchester United keeper Roy Carroll won two Ieague titles with Linfield

The veteran goalkeeper was 38 when he returned to the Irish League with Linfield in 2016, but still proved a huge hit at Windsor Park.

The ex-Manchester United shot-stopper, who won 45 caps for Northern Ireland, played 88 times in three years with the Blues, winning the Gibson Cup, Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield in a first season in which he was also named Linfield's player of the year.

He won another league title in his final year at the club, which was cut short by an ACL injury in January.

As a result of the injury, Linfield declined to offer Carroll a new contract and he subsequently joined FC Mindwell, before he returned to the top tier for a stint with Dungannon Swifts in January 2021.

Carroll is now Northern Ireland men's team's goalkeeping coach, although he recently dusted off the gloves to line out for injury-hit boyhood club Ballinamallard for a match at the age of 45.

Ryan McGivern (Linfield & Newry City)

Still plying his trade in the Irish Premiership with Newry City, McGivern, who won 25 caps for his country, returned to Northern Ireland relatively early with Linfield in 2018 at the age of 28.

The former Manchester City defender endured an injury-hit three-year spell with the Blues, a factor which plagued his 10-year career in England and restricted him to just 17 appearances for Healy's side.

He did win back-to-back league titles whilst at Windsor Park, but opted to move close to home and drop down to the Championship to join Newry City in 2021 once his contract expired.

McGivern managed to stay fit for the majority of the campaign as Darren Mullen's side won the Premiership title and promotion to the Irish Premiership.

The 33-year-old has played 18 times for Newry so far this season as they aim to retain their top-flight status.

Luke McCullough (Glentoran)

Luke McCullough (left) was part of Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 squad alongside McGinn

Another player still active in the Irish Premiership, Luke McCullough has been a huge hit since arriving at Glentoran in 2020.

He will link up with McGinn again at the Oval after both players were part of Michael O'Neill's Euro 2016 squad, with McCullough earning six caps for his country.

The centre-back, 28, had spells with Manchester United, Doncaster and Tranmere before returning to the Irish Premiership, where he made his debut for Dungannon Swifts at the age of 15.

McCullough, who has played 61 times for the Glens, had cemented himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for boss Mick McDermott before he suffered the third ACL injury of his career in November 2021, which ruled him out for 11 months.

He has since returned and featured eight times this season and, like McGinn, will hope to help the Glens out of their mid-season slump.