Ben Whelehan (born: 1 August 1979) was first brought into League of Ireland football by John Gill in 2001 when he signed for Kilkenny City. Whelehan had been playing for Leinster Senior League side, Whitehall Rangers, where he made 20 appearances before arriving at Buckley Park. There, under the guidance of Billy Walsh with Gill as his assistant, Whelehan made an impressive bow, scoring seven goals in 30 league appearances. Incidentally, City’s top goalscorer that year was one Philip Hughes. Whelehan left the South East club after just one season and followed Gill to Kildare County where he spent two seasons, before again joining up with Gill at Dublin City in 2004, a job which the Dubliner had taken midway through Whelehan’s spell at Kildare.
 
With the Vikings, the centre-half made 17 appearances but with the side struggling, Gill resigned and Roddy Collins took over. Collins decided to cull much of the playing squad in search of new blood, and Whelehan was one of the fifteen players that were let go. “I didn’t work under Roddy for long, thank God. I was glad he let me go, it was the best thing he ever done,” Whelehan stated. Collins’ loss was very much Waterford’s gain, as Whelehan signed on for Alan Reynolds at the RSC in August 2004 and helped them to the FAI Cup final. That was to end in disappointment, however, as the Blues threw away a 1-0 lead with just five minutes remaining.
 
That short spell at the Munster club then came to an end when Whelehan returned to Dublin City at the beginning of 2005. And, with Dermot Keely in the hotseat, it was no surprise to see the now defunct Whitehall club at the business end of the table. Whelehan played in 33 of their 36 league matches and helped the side to second place behind Sligo Rovers and into the ‘Promotion/Relegation Playoff’. There, and against the never relegated Shamrock Rovers, Whelehan played a huge part in helping the Vikings into the Premier League following an exciting 3-2 aggregate win over the Hoops. It was a moment that Whelehan counts as his career best, but his time with City was again to end prematurely. Just three months into only his second Premier League campaign, and after captaining the side, the Dublin outfit announced that they were to cease trading with immediate effect.
 
That was a blow that led to Whelehan taking a seven month break from football, before he yet again (for the fourth time), signed for John Gill at Dundalk in December 2006. Whelehan, who stated his joy at joining the club, showed no ill effects of his long break from football when he won the side's fitness test on their first day in pre-season training. He was one of seven close-season arrivals at Oriel Park and proved to be one of the best. Whelehan made his debut for the Lilywhites in the opening day 3-2 win over Finn Harps, however, disaster was to strike on 24 May in the 3-0 home win over Shelbourne, as Whelehan was taken off after 38 minutes having sustained a serious knee injury - one which kept him out for the remainder of the season. 2008 sees Ben return to the fold having gone through a tough eight-month rehabilitation programme.
 
Profile last updated: February 2008