Republic of Ireland international midfielder Keith Fahey has returned to St Patrick's Athletic ahead of the new League of Ireland season.

It will be the Tallaght man's third stint with the Dublin club after spells under former managers Eamonn Collins and John McDonnell, and, at the age of 30, he is eager to add to his 191 appearances and 31 goals.

“I’m delighted with the prospect of coming home and to be back at the club,” Fahey told the club website today. “I really enjoyed my time here before so I’m now just looking forward to get back playing football.

“I was offered various deals from other clubs and ones which were financially a lot better, but I’ve come back here because of the great loyalty I’ve always received. Both the fans and the club have always been great to me, and the stability of the club behind the scenes really made me want to come back and play my football in Inchicore again.”

Fahey's first opportunity to do that is likely to come in the Setanta Sports Cup first leg game against Ballinamallard United on February 24th, when he could be reunited with returning striker Mark Quigley, who has also been re-signed by title-winning manager Liam Buckley.

Fahey was let go by Birmingham City at the end of last season, having made over 100 appearances for the club over four years, during which he played in two Premier League campaigns before relegation in 2011.

He was a youth player at Arsenal and Aston Villa before returning to Ireland for spells with Bluebell United, Pat's and Dorgheda United. After returning to England to play with Birmingham in 2009 he won 16 international caps under Giovanni Trapattoni and scored three international goals, most crucially in Yerevan to beat Armenia 1-0 in the opening Euro 2012 qualifier in September 2010.