Education
McGill University.
McGill University.
Farrell played for Saint Mary"s College in the 1890s and later the Montreal Shamrocks in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) and Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL). He wrote the first ever book on ice hockey, Hockey: Canada"s Royal Winter Game, published in 1899 and of which only four remaining copies are known to exist in the world. He went on to write two "how-to" books on hockey: Ice hockey and ice polo guide of 1901-1904 and How to play Ice Hockey, published in 1907.
Farrell studied and played ice hockey at Saint Mary"s College from 1895 until 1896.
While there, he met future Shamrocks" players Harry Trihey, Fred Scanlan and Jack Brannen. In 1897, the four joined the Montreal Shamrocks.
Farrell, along with Trihey, Scanlan and Brannen would form an impressive offensive line for the Shamrocks. The group played one more season together with the Shamrocks, then all four (and in fact the entire team) left the Shamrocks and Farrell and Trihey left competitive play entirely.
While still playing, Farrell served as referee in CAHL games, and he continued as a referee after he retired as a player.