Dundalk sign Scottish defender Darren Brownlie
Darren Brownlie Credit: Ciaran Culligan/Dundalk FC
Dundalk has announced the acquisition of Scottish defender Darren Brownlie as their first new signing of the summer transfer window.
The 29-year-old centre-back joins Dundalk on a free transfer after his contract with Partick Thistle expired. His move to Dundalk, however, is pending international clearance.
Brownlie, who will don the number 19 jersey for his new team, will be introduced to his new colleagues in Gibraltar next week. This gathering will occur ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League first-qualifying round first-leg-tie against FCB Magpies.
Expressing his enthusiasm over the move, Brownlie stated, “I’ve been thinking about trying something new for a couple of years so when the opportunity came up to come to Dundalk, I was really excited by it.”
Unlike his previous experiences in Scotland, where signing for a team meant going straight into pre-season, Brownlie expressed his eagerness about Dundalk's ongoing league run-in, cup competitions, and upcoming European games.
Born in Bellshill, Brownlie started his Scottish Football League career with Ayr United in 2012 and has made more than 180 appearances in the Scottish Championship since then. His five-year tenure with Queen of the South between 2015 and 2020 accounted for over 100 of those appearances.
In January 2020, Brownlie moved to Partick Thistle for a second stint and played a crucial role in leading the team to the League One title in the following season.
During the 2022/2023 season, he made 33 appearances as Thistle reached the Scottish Premiership playoff final, where they were narrowly defeated by Ross County in a penalty shootout.
