Swindon Town have confirmed the signing of defender Conor McCarthy on loan from Barnsley for the remainder of the campaign.

The 25-year-old centre-back arrives following an injury-hit spell at Oakwell, which has limited him to just seven appearances since his arrival in July 2022, with all three of his appearances this season coming in the EFL Trophy.

McCarthy was highly rated at both his hometown club Cork City, where he made over 60 appearances and won both the League of Ireland and Irish Cup with Cork in the 2016/17 season.

He would eventually move to St Mirren in 2019, where he would spend three successful seasons playing 84 times and finding the back of the net five times during his time in Paisley.

Standing at six-foot-four, McCarthy captained the Cork under-19 team that became the first Irish team in history to win a UEFA Youth League match during their 1-0 triumph over HJK Helsinki and he has also represented the Republic of Ireland at under-18 and under-21 level.

The Irishman is Town's second defensive addition of the day after Pharrell Johnson joined from Nottingham Forest as Swindon add to the options Gavin Gunning will have available to him.