First, a new five-year contract amid interest from Premier League sides Wolves, Burnley and Leeds United.
“It was very easy,” he said. “Everybody knows how much I’ve enjoyed my time here.
“Coming into a new club can be quite daunting, it can take quite a while to settle in, but I settled in quite quickly here and knew straight away how easy it was going to be once I got myself settled.
“It’s great for the club to show their trust and belief in me to sign a long-term deal.
“I’m really enjoying my time here, so to see the club’s ambitions and the pathway that they want this club to go on, it’s something I want to be a part of. An easy answer.”
Then, more recently, the captaincy. O’Shea wasn’t hoping that skipper Sam Morsy would move on, but his departure to Kuwait SC opened the door for him to take the armband.
O'Shea replaces the departed Sam Morsy as Town captainO'Shea replaces the departed Sam Morsy as Town captain (Image: Ross Halls) “Really proud for myself and my family,” he explained. “To get the opportunity to lead this club is special, and it’s something I’m really looking forward to stepping into it.
“At West Brom, I was the on-field captain for the second half of the season, when Jake [Livermore] wasn’t playing. I got a bit of a taste for it then.
“I captained a few times at under-age international level. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”
So, how did it all come about? It felt inevitable for quite a while, but what was the moment like when he learned that he would be the new captain of the football club?
“The gaffer just pulled me and spoke to me,” O’Shea revealed. “I obviously had the privilege of wearing it a few times last season when Samy wasn’t playing.
“The gaffer spoke to me this pre-season, sat me down and said he’d like me to take it. It was a quick answer from myself. It’s something that I’m looking forward to having the responsibility of now.”
Morsy’s departure came as a bit of a shock to many supporters. The 33-year-old had previously claimed that he was expecting to stay at the club following relegation, but when the opportunity came about to move to the Middle East, it was too good to turn down.
From the players’ perspective, this was what he deserved.
Dara O'Shea signed a new five-year deal in the summerDara O'Shea signed a new five-year deal in the summer (Image: Ross Halls) “I was really close to Samy here last year,” O’Shea detailed. “He sent me a message, which was really nice.
“He’s someone who’s done so much for this club. He got the club to where they are, so massive credit to him. The way he’s been with me, it’s made it really easy for my transition.
“It wasn’t a handover chat, it was just a nice, easy chat. Samy and I are friends, so it wasn’t anything too crazy.
“I think everyone, first and foremost, was extremely grateful for Samy and what he’s done for this club.
“Everyone understood, it wasn’t a move that didn’t make sense, it was a move that made sense, and a move that was going to benefit him and his family.
“That’s something that he deserves after giving so much to the football club, for the club to be so great for him, to honour that move for him to go there. It was nice for them.
“For us as players, he’s going to be massive loss to the changing room, but with that comes the responsibility of other players stepping up.
“So far, I think we’ve seen that in pre-season, which has been good. It’s opened up opportunities for the boys, maybe for lads to step into that role too.”
There are plenty of things that O’Shea will have learned from Morsy, but the centre-back is his own man. He has taken bits from plenty of players he’s worked with in the past, such as international team-mate Seamus Coleman.
On the flip side, he’s not planning to tear everything up and start from scratch.
“It’s important not to change too much around the place, and to be myself as well,” he pondered. “There’s nothing worse than someone who’s acting false and fake.
If I carry on the way I’ve always been – there will be more responsibility sometimes, and maybe more decisions I’ll have to make, that’s fine. All in all, it’s fairly smooth and seamless.”
Dara O'Shea says he won't change anything about himself now he's skipperDara O'Shea says he won't change anything about himself now he's skipper (Image: Ross Halls) Now, focus turns to the Championship season. Ipswich are the bookies’ favourites to lift the title and return to the Premier League, with many fans and pundits tipping them to do so. The quality in their group is what puts them in that position, above all.
“I think the squad is in a really good place at the moment,” O’Shea claimed. “There’s lots of competition, which is great for the squad, and it’s going to push us on.
“Obviously, we’re going to start a tough campaign on Friday night. Everyone is really looking forward to the season starting, getting going and having the run of games.
“The Championship is notorious for being chaotic with games. It’s something we’re really looking forward to as a group.
“We’re going to have to be consistent throughout the season. Whoever is in the top two spots at the end of the season will have been the most consistent and adapted the most.
“It’s never a straightforward season, there will always be ups and downs, but we need to bring ourselves back to that happy median, believing in our core values.
“Hopefully our quality will shine through.”
Of course, the campaign opens with a mouth-watering curtain-raiser away at Birmingham City, buoyed by their 111-point League One title win and their summer spending.
With NFL legend Tom Brady the face of the new project, Amazon Prime have recently released a new documentary giving a behind-the-scenes view of their recent trajectory.
NFL legend Tom Brady, right, is a part-owner at BirminghamNFL legend Tom Brady, right, is a part-owner at Birmingham “I haven’t seen any of the documentary yet,” O’Shea chuckled. “There’s a lot of noise around the club right now, with the new owners who came in. They obviously had a really successful season last season.
“We know it will be a tough game. Going to St. Andrew’s is always tough, no matter what.
“I’m really looking forward to it. They are obviously a great side, so it will be a tough opener.”
As a former West Brom player, O’Shea is used to St. Andrew’s and knows just what to expect from Friday night.
“They were tough games,” he added. “I know what it’s like heading there, it’s quite a hostile crowd. They are going to be really loud there on Friday night, they are going to be excited to be back in the division, and there’s a lot of hype around them too.
“It’s going to be tough for us. We’re going to have to try and silence that crowd when we can, play our football, play our game and hopefully come out on the right end of it.”
The other obvious twist is that these are two sides with aspirations of reaching the Premier League. Ipswich have had a taste and are now eyeing a return, while Birmingham are determined to reach the very top of English football.
Neither side will find it easy to do so.
Kiera McKenna's Blues will have a target on their backs this seasonKiera McKenna's Blues will have a target on their backs this season (Image: Ross Halls) “It’s extremely competitive this year,” O’Shea said. “The teams who came down, the teams who have come up as well. They are really going to have a good go.
“This is what we love about the EFL, how competitive the league can be. There’s no one you can put your money on straight away and say they will go up, it’s going to be tight, it’s going to be tough.
“Whoever goes up this year is going to have to really deserve it. That’s what’s special about it.”
From Ipswich’s perspective, this season is different. When they achieved promotion in 2023/24, they did so as underdogs, fighting parachute payment teams in Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton. Last season, in the Premier League, they played against some of the best players and best teams in the world.
Next season, they will be the team with a target on their back.
“It’s definitely a different feeling, and something we’re going to have to adapt to,” O’Shea rallied. “It’s going to be hard at times, there are going to be games where teams make it really difficult for us.
“We’ve got to understand that. It’s not going to be easy and teams aren’t going to roll over for you. You have to earn everything in this league.
“It’s important for us to understand it’s a possibility, but to be ready to go against it when it happens.”
Aside from winning promotion, the other aim has to be to beat arch-rivals Norwich City, something they haven’t done since April 2009.
The Blues are, in theory, in a much better position than the Canaries, and getting one over on them after so long is something on O’Shea’s to-do list.
Town and Norwich will renew hostilities on October 5thTown and Norwich will renew hostilities on October 5th (Image: Ross Halls) “You come to any club, one of the first things you find out is who their rivals are,” he explained. “You quickly hear about Norwich here.
“You learn how much it means to the town and the fans. It’s going to be important to put in a good showing, give the fans what they want. It’s something that’s been spoken about for a while.
“Is it 16 years without a win? Hopefully we can put that to bed this season.
“Before that game comes, there’s a lot of other football to be played. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it and see how we get on then.”