Born in Montreal, Quebec, Farrell helped lead the Shamrocks to Stanley Cup victories in 1899 and 1900.

[2] Farrell fell ill with tuberculosis in 1906, and entered the sanatorium in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, where he died in 1909.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965,[3] along with his teammate Fred Scanlan, as a player.

While there, he met future Shamrocks' players Harry Trihey, Fred Scanlan and Jack Brannen.

Farrell, along with Trihey, Scanlan and Brannen would form an impressive offensive line for the Shamrocks.