DENISE O’SULLIVAN’S SMILE says it all when she’s reminded of her special World Cup send-off back home in Knocknaheeny.
“Ah it was unbelievable. I was mortified, but it was class to be fair,” she beams in Brisbane.
“Bands, rappers, oh my goodness. It was mad. My family have always been a great support and you can see what football does. It just brought the whole community and everyone together that night to support me. It was a great send-off.”
Not only was it a special night organised by her family as they are not travelling to Australia, but it stripped everything right back: this is why the Republic of Ireland centurion and North Carolina Courage captain does what she does.
“That field, that’s where I grew up playing football. That’s where I played street football with my brothers and all the boys. That night, I was there signing autographs for kids sitting in that same field. Look how far I’ve come and what I’m doing now.”
“I have a platform to inspire people and I think that’s what this team is doing. I want to leave this green shirt in the best condition I can for when I’m about to retire — not anytime soon,” she adds with a reassuring laugh.
“But that’s definitely what it’s all about. It’s about inspiring the next generation.”
O’Sullivan is in a reflective mood after Ireland’s open training session at Meakin Park.
A little over a week out from the World Cup opener against Australia, the 29-year-old midfield maestro speaks a lot about The Journey, both individually and collectively.
“I always believed that this team could get to a World Cup. We’ve went through a really tough journey to get here. Losing to Ukraine, that was a big reason why we’re at this World Cup. We’ve really matured from that night. We’ve grown as a team and we’re in this journey together.
“The FAI have been absolutely fantastic. Everything we’ve asked for, they’ve given us and that’s why we’re at a major tournament. Look, we’re here now. The standards are so much better. And we’re ready to push on as a team.
“I’ve played with Katie McCabe for 10 years, Grace Maloney I played with at the U17 World Cup so it’s surreal to be here with those girls. And playing in this World Cup gives me goosebumps.
“We’ve all had our own journeys along the way. A lot of us went through difficult moments. We’re putting it all into perspective.”
O’Sullivan points to captain McCabe and her loan move to Glasgow City paving the way for her Arsenal rise, and Chloe Mustaki’s inspiring story, as two examples.
And then there’s her own. Her father, John, died in 2016, just five weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer. He’s always in her thoughts, but will be front and centre of her mind over the coming days.
“My dad was the biggest supporter for me in my journey to get to where I am. Obviously, to have him here would be a dream but I know he’s looking down. He’s proud anyway. He pushed me along the way to get to where I am today.”
The Cork native is unquestionably one of the stars of this team. A silky footballer with a serious engine, O’Sullivan consistently mixes fire with ice in the middle of the park and often pops up with a goal or two.
Her glittering club career has taken her from Ireland to Scotland to the US, where she’s enjoying her captaincy role at NWSL table-toppers Courage. She’s also had loan stints in England (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Australia (Canberra United and Western Sydney Wanderers), so finds herself on familiar ground on this side of the world.
O’Sullivan will earn her 103rd international cap in Ireland’s major tournament debut against the Matildas next week. She hails their “fantastic” team and the “world-class” Sam Kerr up top, but insists the Girls In Green will be ready for the co-hosts and the 80,000-plus sell-out crowd at Stadium Australia.
They have several world-class stars of their own, herself and Katie McCabe springing to mind first for most. With that, comes pressure, but it weighs lightly for O’Sullivan.
In fact, she thrives off being targeted — and no doubt will do again next week.
“Obviously it gives you a bit of confidence that they’re trying to take you out of the game,” she grins. “Sometimes it’s tough to deal with, because you do have one or two players on your back. But that’s what it’s all about.
“I’m going to go out and give 100% for the team and that’s all that matters. There will be pressure on me and Katie, but we have enough experience to deal with it. Katie probably has played in front of the most out of any of us, 60,000, and I played in front of 30,000 [North Carolina Courage v Portland Thorns]. For me, the more that’s in that stadium, the better. We want to be playing in those games on the world stage.
“It’s a high level game, and I’ll be ready for it. I’ve been playing in these games for a long time now. I’m at a World Cup, I’m going to take it all in and enjoy the moment.”