Cork City have announced that they have agreed an undisclosed fee with the Blues for midfielder George O'Callaghan. The 27-year-old has been on trial at Portman Road since September with the transfer negotiations lasting almost as long.
TWTD understands that the deal will see Town pay the Eircom League side £50,000 and travel to Cork for a pre-season friendly next summer. The Irishman is understood to have already agreed personal terms with the Blues.
An attacking midfielder, O'Callaghan started his professional career at Port Vale as a striker but switched position after moving to Cork in 2002. After 39 appearances and four goals over four years and interest from Spurs, he had drifted out of the first team picture at Vale Park.
Very much a flair player, O'Callaghan was named Port Vale's Young Player Of The Year in 1997 and also won an LDV Vans Trophy winners medal in 2000/01. The midfielder has won caps at U18 and U20 levels with the Republic of Ireland and won a Munster Senior Cup medal and an Eircom League winners medal while with Cork. In 2005 he was named the Eircom League Player of the Year.
His Cork spell came to an end in July when he fell out with Cork boss Damien Richardson over a fine imposed on him by the Eircom League club and he was placed on the transfer list, joining Town in September.
In October O'Callaghan was briefly hospitalised by a bout of shingles. At the time the illness was wrongly reported to be meningitis.