Career
Towell started his career with Scottish club Celtic and made his debut in the first half of the 2010-2011 season. He then had two loan spells with Hibernian before leaving Celtic in 2012. Towell has represented the Republic of Ireland under-21, under-19 and under-17 teams.
Celtic
Towell started his career at Crumlin United and in 2007 moved to Celtic.
In November 2010 he made his professional debut coming on as a substitute for Jos Hooiveld in the 57th minute of Celtic"s 2–2 draw against Inverness, he provided an assist for Paddy McCourt. Towell left Celtic after his contract expired at the end of the 2011-2012 season.
= Hibernian (loans) On 25 January 2011, he joined Hibernian on loan until the end of the 2010-2011 season. Towell made his debut a day later, in a 2–0 loss to Rangers.
He was at fault for the concession of the second Rangers goal, as a misplaced pass allowed Nikica Jelavić a clear chance to score.
Despite this bad start, Towell helped to solidify the Hibs defence during the latter part of the 2010-2011 season. Hibs manager Colin Calderwood stated in April 2011 that he hoped to sign Towell for a longer period. Towell said in April 2011 that he received abuse from Hearts supporters in Edinburgh derby matches because he was Catholic.
However, he also said that this made him more determined to play better.
Towell returned to Celtic at the end of the season, having made 15 starting appearances for Hibs. Towell re-signed on loan for Hibs on 25 August 2011, on a deal due to run until June 2012.
He played the first match of his second loan spell only 3 days later, starting as Hibs lost 2–0 to Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts. Towell started to find first-team opportunities limited after new manager Pat Fenlon made several siginings in the January transfer window.
Two right backs and two central midfielders came in with one other right back going out.
However, Fenlon said that once Towell had got his fitness levels up he would be back in the first team picture. Dundalk
Towell was signed by Stephen Kenny for Dundalk in December 2012, ahead of the 2013 Airtricity Premier Division season. Towell made his League of Ireland debut against Shamrock Rovers on the opening night of the 2013 season and was hugely influential in Dundalk’s second-placed finish that year, scoring seven times in 31 league appearances.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Towell signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on 30 November 2015 and has been eligible to play since January 2016.
In May 2008 Richie Towell made his Republic of Ireland under-17"s debut in a European championship match against Switzerland. He gained his second Ireland under-17 cap four days later, against Spain.
Towell made two appearances for Republic of Ireland under-21"s in the 2011 Union of European Football Associations European Under-21 Football Championship qualification campaign.