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McInroy spent a decade developing as a young footballer inside Celtic’s renowned youth academy before eventually moving on without a first-team appearance.
The Shelbourne midfielder joined Celtic’s youth setup at the age of 12 in 2012, beginning a long and formative association with the Glasgow club.
Now 25, McInroy holds genuine affection for his time at Parkhead, crediting the club with shaping him both as a player and as a person.
He was ruled out of Tuesday’s friendly clash between Shelbourne and the Premiership champions at Tolka Park due to injury, a blow he has taken hard.
McInroy told the Irish Mirror: “I was a Celtic fan growing up and I joined the club when I was 12, so that’s where I got my education.”
He described an intense footballing environment at the club, saying: “We used to train in the morning and then again after school. My full team, we all went to the same school. It’s just constant football.”
After loan spells with Dunfermline, Airdrieonians and Ayr United, McInroy was permanently transferred to Kilmarnock in 2022 before later joining Shelbourne following a loan stint with Partick Thistle.
During his long stay at Parkhead, McInroy worked under current Celtic assistant manager Shaun Maloney, who served as his reserve team coach for around a year.
Maloney has since gone on to work alongside Roberto Martinez with the Belgian national team and had managerial spells at Hibs and Wigan Athletic before joining Martin O’Neill’s staff at Celtic last season.
McInroy expressed no surprise at Maloney’s rise, saying: “He was a brilliant coach. He actually left us to go to Belgium and be assistant manager there. That showed the level he was at.”
The midfielder spoke warmly about the personal connection he shared with Maloney, adding: “He was a great coach, I had a really good relationship with him and I learned a lot from him.”
McInroy also recalled admiring Maloney long before they ever worked together, noting: “I remember him from watching Scotland when I was younger. I loved watching him play for Scotland. He was a really good player.”
Missing the chance to see familiar faces from his past made the injury all the more frustrating, with McInroy saying: “I’m a bit gutted that I’ll miss the game. It will be nice to see a few people from when I was younger.”
Celtic’s title triumph last season clearly left a strong impression on McInroy, who said the closing stages were “incredible” and described the Scottish Cup win the following week as “the icing on the cake.”
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