IT’S COMING TO the end of a Munster senior cup final in Cork, and the manager of one of the teams is facing a selection dilemma.
Michael Connolly, who established the women’s section of College Corinthians AFC, is already down to his sub keeper in a 2-2 battle. They’re up against fierce rivals, and defending champions, Wilton United.
His replacement keeper is pulling off the saves and keeping them in the fight as the game enters extra time. But with neither side looking likely to nab a winner, she comes to Connolly with a crisis of confidence.
“I’m not going in goals for the penalties,” she says.
“Not a bother,” Michael replies with reassurance. “I’ve a plan.”
Megan Connolly pictured in the goalkeeper jersey celebrating with her Corinthians team. Luke Connolly
Luke Connolly
Connolly’s daughter Megan is also a player on the Corinthians team. In truth, he built this team for her when he saw she had a flair for the sport. He canvassed schools. He put up flyers. The whole family helped put the work in to assemble a team. All in the hope that Megan could take her passion further when there were no other opportunities around the Douglas area.
Megan normally plays up front and has provided both of her side’s goals in this game in Charleville. Megan is also a Chelsea fan. Moreover, she’s a hardcore Petr Čech worshipper. She even has a pair of gloves that are similar to the ones he plays with. And now she’s going to get her chance to emulate her idol.
Michael has faith, despite her lack of match experience between the sticks. He knows that she’s good at reading what direction a shooter will aim for.
Megan uses those instincts to save all three of Wilton’s penalties as Corinthians are crowned the new champions. But when it comes to naming the Player of the Match, Megan Connolly is not selected for the award.
Walking out from the pitch, Michael runs into the official who is responsible for this decision.
“Look, Megan has a load of them, I’d say,” he says, offering his apologies.
“That’s not the point,” comes Michael’s reply.
“The point is that she scored two goals, she saved the penalties, and she was deserving of it. That’s it.”
****
Future Proofing
Michael is recalling Megan’s recent graduation as he sits down to tea with his son, Luke. His son has just moved into a new house in Innishannon, so they’re sipping from disposable cups for the moment. Thankfully, he’s not straying too far from home where he played football for Nemo Rangers and Cork. His playing days are over, but he’s still involved with the Nemo seniors as a coach.
There are some odd jobs left to be done to help Luke settle in with his family. His young son, Shea, has just come home from crèche. Life is blissfully busy.
But they can spare some time to talk about Megan, the youngest of the three siblings. Luke is the eldest, and they have another sister, Nicole.
Megan’s graduation was in London where she picked up a diploma in Global Football Business Management. Australian legend Tim Cahill was also receiving a qualification that day along with former Chelsea star César Azpilicueta.
Megan was especially happy to see him there.
Megan was a big Chelsea and Petr Čech fan growing up. Luke Connolly.
Luke Connolly.
But for Michael and his wife, Freda, the biggest shock was seeing their youngest speak on stage for 10 minutes about her course.
“She never told us that she was being interviewed on stage. To be honest, you can never tell with Megan.”
A new person stood before them compared to the girl they raised in Cork. She’s done a lot of growing up since moving to Florida State University in 2015 on a four-year scholarship as a teenager.
The next four years were spent at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women’s Super League [WSL], before a brief stint at Bristol City. She’s now into her third year as a Serie A player with Lazio.
All that moving around has altered her accent slightly. Luke is waiting for an Italian flavour to show up in her “mid-Atlantic” twang, but Michael assuredly says that there’s still some Cork in there.
Megan Connolly [right] in action for Lazio. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
“She rings me and goes, ‘Hello, Boyyyyy.’ She’d be mocking me then.”
Freda has remarked in the past how Megan went to Florida as a shy girl, and came home a confident woman. Luke agrees with that observation.
“The Megan that left wouldn’t be the same Megan that captained a WSL team. She’s become more of a leader.”
And as she prepares to turn 30 next year, with 70 Ireland caps banked, she’s looking to the future and the life that awaits after playing professional football.
“She’s looked at what would keep her interested in soccer,” Michael explains. “Coaching is one thing, but then there’s other backroom things that she’d like to get into. From being in the States when she was 18 to now where she’s 29. So over that 11 years, she’s been in and out of the Irish team, and she’s had different experiences.”
****
The Big Moments
The machine wouldn’t accept Michael’s match ticket, and he couldn’t understand why. It was a rainy night in June, and he was trying to get into the Premium Level of Páirc Uí Chaoimh to watch Megan play for Ireland in their World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands.
Luke had no trouble getting through, and was sinking into some pints with his work colleagues before kick-off. It was a breeze for Nicole and her family too.
But their father was having some technical difficulties. The machine kept popping his ticket back out to him. A friendly steward stepped in to provide assistance, and kindly pointed out that he was in the wrong section of the stadium.
“I was down in the front with the rain,” Michael laughs. “There were a few girls there who work with Freda and they always support Megan. And they were like, ‘Where’s everyone else?’ And I was pointing up to where they were.”
But missing out on the Premium Level luxuries proved to be no loss in the end for Michael. Ireland kept their automatic World Cup qualification hopes alive that night with a dramatic 3-2 victory. Amber Barrett provided the match-winner in the 90th minute, and Michael had the best view in the house.
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Michael Connolly was sitting right in front of the celebrations after Amber Barrett's winner against the Netherlands. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“I was right in front of where Amber celebrated the third goal,” he continued.
“It was great because I got down to Megan for a hug. I wouldn’t have got that, so it worked out well.”
The Ireland women’s team have enjoyed some famous results at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in recent years. It’s quickly becoming their favourite venue. Along with that massive result against the Dutch, you can also add a 1-0 win over Slovenia from the 2025 Nations League to the list.
It all started in 2024, with a 3-1 result against France to mark their first win of their Euro 2025 qualification campaign. It was also Ireland’s first senior women’s home international outside of Dublin since June 2012.
Megan came on in the last few minutes, and sent in a corner for Anna Patten to score Ireland’s third goal of the game. But for the Connollys, there were some challenging emotions to work through during that game.
“She did some of the media before the game but she almost didn’t feature,” Luke begins. “She came on, took a corner, and they got the third goal. That put a positive spin on what would have been a fairly disastrous trip to Cork for us. She just wasn’t getting in under Eileen (Gleeson). But that’s our hit.
“There was huge support there. There were 300 girls down there who wanted to run out onto the pitch after the game. There’s that part of it as well.
“That’s what you sometimes don’t appreciate. From canvassing the schools to winning in Cork in front of girls. Maybe we don’t appreciate that side of it enough.”
Megan Connolly in action at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The Connollys have followed Megan’s Ireland career closely, even when they couldn’t watch her play. In the days before TV coverage, they only had an FAI stream to rely on that didn’t have any live actual footage of the game.
“We remember watching the bar like a Football Manager game,” Luke explains. “If we were attacking, it would go green. We’d just keep watching the bar and if they missed a chance, we’d be like, ‘Oh, fuck sake.’ So, it’s nice to actually watch games instead of making up scenarios in our head.”
They feel all the bad moments with Megan, as much as the good ones. On the night Ireland secured World Cup qualification in 2022, Megan was at home with her family. They were all together for Amber Barrett’s famous winning goal against Scotland at Hampden Park.
A surreal memory. They knew Megan should be playing, but was unavailable due to a serious injury. Two fractured ribs and a grade three laceration of the kidney forced her to watch the drama unfold on TV.
Luke was still playing for Nemo Rangers in those days, and missed the first half of the game due to training. Someone kept him informed of the updates before he could get home to watch the second half.
In 2021, during another World Cup qualifier against Sweden, Luke used a different method to stay informed.
“We watched the first half, and then I had training. We were getting ready for a [championship] semi-final, and I had the phone in my sock.”
Of course, the Connollys all flew out to Australia too for the tournament itself. A historic occasion for Irish football and a career highlight for Megan. The first group game against the host nation, Australia, was almost overwhelming for Luke.
“We were definitely emotional when they were walking out because it’s kind of like a ‘She did it’ moment.”
****
Gut Check Time
It’s about a week into Megan Connolly’s transfer to Lazio, and she wants to come home. This is her third club as a professional footballer, but it’s not her first experience with homesickness.
She was struck down with a bout of it during her final years at Florida State as her role in the team gradually changed from influential leader to impact player.
Now she’s showing symptoms again as she tries to adjust to life in Italy. She’s used to certain training methods from her time with Brighton and Bristol in the Women’s Super League.
But it’s different in Lazio. They use old-school training methods. It’s an all-male coaching staff too.
The heat doesn’t make it any easier. It’s 40 degrees outside and Megan’s accommodation doesn’t have any air conditioning.
Megan Connolly was captain of Brighton during her time there. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Megan’s mother, Freda, sobbed for weeks when her youngest left the house to go to Florida for four years. But in these moments of doubt, she’s the one that says what her daughter needs to hear.
“You’ve signed a contract. You have to honour it.”
It gets easier for Megan as the weeks go by. She checks herself into a hotel for a month to catch up on some sleep in an air-conditioned room. Within a month, she’s in a beautiful apartment. She then makes her first start at centre-back against Roma. The perfect tonic for a bad case of homesickness.
“When you’re playing well, stuff like that tends to fade a bit,” Luke explains. “She’s at the point now where they’ve had girls come over, and she can see if they’ll last because it is such a culture shock.
“In Brighton, the training facilities are top class. Lazio have improved and have their own facilities. But if the men’s team have to go out on the pitch, they’ll (the women’s team) be demoted to the (other pitch). Because it’s so hot in Italy this month, they actually train on astroturf.
“So, there’s still a bit of an old-school approach there. And in pre-season, they’re running. There’s no footballs.”
****
Local Landmarks
The Connolly home lies in the shadow of two great stadiums in Cork. Turner’s Cross is their address, not far from the home ground of Cork City. It was a regular haunt for the Connollys when the children were young.
The home games they attended in 2005 were particularly memorable as Cork City edged out Derry City to win the Premier Division. Their title race went to the final day when Damien Richardson’s side earned a 2-0 win over the Candystripes at a packed-out Turner’s Cross to secure a first Premier Division title since 1993.
Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the headquarters of Cork GAA, is the other major sporting venue within reach of the Connolly household. Visits to Páirc Uí Chaoimh would come in later years for the Connollys. Luke’s career with the Cork footballers, combined with county final appearances for Nemo Rangers, has given them plenty of days out.
That could have been Megan’s life too. She also played for Nemo Rangers and represented Cork up to the U16 grade before she was prompted to make a decision. An All-Ireland final against Galway was clashing with a match for Ireland, and the message relayed to her father was clear.
Megan played centre for for Nemo Rangers. She's pictured second from the left on the bottom row here.
“If she doesn’t come to Dublin, she can play Gaelic for the rest of her life.”
“And I said to her, ‘You’ve got to do one or the other.’”
Michael is certain that a future in a Cork jersey was there for her. Centre-forward was her best position, and she was a dominant force in that sport too.
“I remember when she was 14, 15, they brought out a rule in Cork of one hop, one solo, and you had to get rid of the ball then. Because certain girls would just run through the whole place.
“So I said to Megan, ‘Just throw it on the floor and go with it and dribble through.’
“We played a club in Cork and the manager was running onto the pitch shouting, ‘She can’t do that!’”
Soccer won her heart and brought her down a different road. But she would eventually find herself at the gates of Páirc Uí Chaoimh too.
When they were young, the back garden was the preferred venue for the Connolly kids. Matches. Kicking drills. Basically, anything that involved ball work would keep them out on the grass for hours.
“There’s plants that can speak for the amount of games we had at home,” Luke recalls. “The remnants of tomato trees. Glass houses that didn’t last too long.”
Nicole would normally retire after a match that was up to five goals. That left Luke and Megan to play on. The new target would be best of 50. Last one left standing. Their battles could go on until nightfall.
At that point, Michael would be pleading with them to come inside.
A young Megan Connolly in her Corinthians gear. Luke Connolly.
Luke Connolly.
“I would be saying to Luke, ‘Just leave her win.’ And then at about six o’clock, Megan would come in with the chest out. ’27-26. I just won.’”
But those victories weren’t built on any appeals for leniency. Luke could see that she was getting stronger with every game, and could do little to stop her.
“There’s four years between us, but it wasn’t too long where I was like, ‘I’m not letting her fucking win.’”
The garden is also where both Megan and Luke became dead-ball specialists. Luke could kick frees off the ground in Gaelic football, while Megan learned to become proficient at swinging in corners as well as hooking frees around a wall of defenders.
A famous example is from the U19 European Championships in 2014. Ireland, who were appearing at the competition for the first time, were 1-1 with Sweden in a group game when Connolly stood over a free with 10 minutes to go. With the aid of the crossbar, she knocked it into the top corner to send Ireland into the semi-finals.
Her corners are a staple for Ireland. Both arms raised before applying the whip is the typical routine. Her delivery in the 89th minute of Ireland’s win over France in 2024 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh is an important one to note. Connolly left her mark on the pitch that’s close to home, using the tricks her father taught her.
“Frees and corners were a family thing,” Luke says. “The reason he taught us was basically, ‘If you’re having a bad game, give them a reason not to take you off.’ I don’t think it really happened with Megan, but if there ever was a day when you were having a bad game, you could say, ‘Yeah, but we need her for the corners.’
“It’s a key part of her Irish career.”
****
Quiet Confidence
Megan was always a quiet player on the field. Hardly a word, according to Michael. And not very expressive either. She never broke into wild or excessive celebrations after a goal. Never goaded an opponent when she was dominating a game.
That was an important quality when she was such a formidable presence on the field. Her gamesmanship earned her a lot of respect as she progressed from Corinthians to Florida State. Her international career started by making an U15 squad. In 2014, she was on that Ireland U19 side at the European Championships.
It was packed with future greats of women’s sport. Sarah Rowe, a current star of the AFLW, was involved as was Cork camogie All-Ireland winner Amy O’Connor. Katie McCabe and Chloe Mustaki were there too, and still share an Ireland dressing room with Megan.
Luke had a different personality on the field. His father laughs in agreement, and follows it up with a story to illustrate the difference between his two children.
Luke Connolly captained Nemo Rangers to Cork senior glory in 2022. Lorraine O’Sullivan / INPHO
Lorraine O’Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO
The scene is the 2020 Cork premier senior football final – played in 2021 due to Covid – between Nemo Rangers and their rivals Castlehaven. Luke has just scored his second goal to help seal a 3-7 to 0-13 victory. He raises his arms to the crowd in celebration before dropping a finger to his lips, shushing the Castlehaven supporters.
The Connolly men take up the story.
“His mother was saying, ‘What’s he doing?’ And I says, ‘He’s not doing what he’s supposed to be doing.’ He ran across jeering them.”
Luke laughs as he interjects.
“I don’t think that’s accurate now. They were calling me names.”
****
There And Back Again
Another visit to Páirc Uí Chaoimh awaits for Ireland. And the Connollys. As the World Cup qualification journey continues against Kazakhstan, the venue where they have a 3-0 record was the only place that could host such a crucial fixture. The first leg of the play-off is coming up this Friday in Astana Arena before Carla Ward’s side return to the banks of the Lee on Tuesday, 13 October.
Another homecoming of sorts for Megan and her lifelong friend, Denise O’Sullivan. An image of the Cork comrades in their Ireland shirts is immortalised in a traffic box mural in the city. A fitting dedication to their legacy.
Come On You Girls In Green!
Our new traffic box mural at South Gate Bridge in @corkcitycentre dedicated to Cork's Megan Connolly and Denise O'Sullivan who will be bringing home the @FIFAWomensWorl3 Cup later this summer for @FAIWomen https://t.co/RR9LoZBA8J
“She’s always had Megan’s back,” Luke adds. “If Megan’s not playing, she’d be saying, ‘You should be playing, girl.’”
The Connollys will also be in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday, 10 October in their Nemo Rangers colours for a senior football semi-final against Carrigaline. Luke is part of the backroom team these days. He stopped playing in 2023 with five senior county medals and two Munster crowns to his name. They’ve lost the last three county finals, but he’s hoping for a different ending this year.
“I have a jersey for Shea. We have a family photo from last year which is the first time that the three generations were there. It would be nice to win one as a coach.”
Lots to look forward to in the next few weeks just down the road from where it all started in Turner’s Cross.
“You still think it’s going to disappear in the morning. If anything happened, she’s had such a career. She’s been through Florida State, Brighton, Bristol, World Cup, Lazio.
“When we were canvassing in school, you’d be saying, ‘Remember now, this is all for you.’”
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Raised in Turner's Cross and built on the road - the faces and places that made Ireland's Megan Connolly
IT’S COMING TO the end of a Munster senior cup final in Cork, and the manager of one of the teams is facing a selection dilemma.
Michael Connolly, who established the women’s section of College Corinthians AFC, is already down to his sub keeper in a 2-2 battle. They’re up against fierce rivals, and defending champions, Wilton United.
His replacement keeper is pulling off the saves and keeping them in the fight as the game enters extra time. But with neither side looking likely to nab a winner, she comes to Connolly with a crisis of confidence.
“I’m not going in goals for the penalties,” she says.
“Not a bother,” Michael replies with reassurance. “I’ve a plan.”
Connolly’s daughter Megan is also a player on the Corinthians team. In truth, he built this team for her when he saw she had a flair for the sport. He canvassed schools. He put up flyers. The whole family helped put the work in to assemble a team. All in the hope that Megan could take her passion further when there were no other opportunities around the Douglas area.
Megan normally plays up front and has provided both of her side’s goals in this game in Charleville. Megan is also a Chelsea fan. Moreover, she’s a hardcore Petr Čech worshipper. She even has a pair of gloves that are similar to the ones he plays with. And now she’s going to get her chance to emulate her idol.
Michael has faith, despite her lack of match experience between the sticks. He knows that she’s good at reading what direction a shooter will aim for.
Megan uses those instincts to save all three of Wilton’s penalties as Corinthians are crowned the new champions. But when it comes to naming the Player of the Match, Megan Connolly is not selected for the award.
Walking out from the pitch, Michael runs into the official who is responsible for this decision.
“Look, Megan has a load of them, I’d say,” he says, offering his apologies.
“That’s not the point,” comes Michael’s reply.
“The point is that she scored two goals, she saved the penalties, and she was deserving of it. That’s it.”
****
Future Proofing
Michael is recalling Megan’s recent graduation as he sits down to tea with his son, Luke. His son has just moved into a new house in Innishannon, so they’re sipping from disposable cups for the moment. Thankfully, he’s not straying too far from home where he played football for Nemo Rangers and Cork. His playing days are over, but he’s still involved with the Nemo seniors as a coach.
There are some odd jobs left to be done to help Luke settle in with his family. His young son, Shea, has just come home from crèche. Life is blissfully busy.
But they can spare some time to talk about Megan, the youngest of the three siblings. Luke is the eldest, and they have another sister, Nicole.
Megan’s graduation was in London where she picked up a diploma in Global Football Business Management. Australian legend Tim Cahill was also receiving a qualification that day along with former Chelsea star César Azpilicueta.
Megan was especially happy to see him there.
But for Michael and his wife, Freda, the biggest shock was seeing their youngest speak on stage for 10 minutes about her course.
“She never told us that she was being interviewed on stage. To be honest, you can never tell with Megan.”
A new person stood before them compared to the girl they raised in Cork. She’s done a lot of growing up since moving to Florida State University in 2015 on a four-year scholarship as a teenager.
The next four years were spent at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women’s Super League [WSL], before a brief stint at Bristol City. She’s now into her third year as a Serie A player with Lazio.
All that moving around has altered her accent slightly. Luke is waiting for an Italian flavour to show up in her “mid-Atlantic” twang, but Michael assuredly says that there’s still some Cork in there.
“She rings me and goes, ‘Hello, Boyyyyy.’ She’d be mocking me then.”
Freda has remarked in the past how Megan went to Florida as a shy girl, and came home a confident woman. Luke agrees with that observation.
“The Megan that left wouldn’t be the same Megan that captained a WSL team. She’s become more of a leader.”
And as she prepares to turn 30 next year, with 70 Ireland caps banked, she’s looking to the future and the life that awaits after playing professional football.
“She’s looked at what would keep her interested in soccer,” Michael explains. “Coaching is one thing, but then there’s other backroom things that she’d like to get into. From being in the States when she was 18 to now where she’s 29. So over that 11 years, she’s been in and out of the Irish team, and she’s had different experiences.”
****
The Big Moments
The machine wouldn’t accept Michael’s match ticket, and he couldn’t understand why. It was a rainy night in June, and he was trying to get into the Premium Level of Páirc Uí Chaoimh to watch Megan play for Ireland in their World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands.
Luke had no trouble getting through, and was sinking into some pints with his work colleagues before kick-off. It was a breeze for Nicole and her family too.
But their father was having some technical difficulties. The machine kept popping his ticket back out to him. A friendly steward stepped in to provide assistance, and kindly pointed out that he was in the wrong section of the stadium.
“I was down in the front with the rain,” Michael laughs. “There were a few girls there who work with Freda and they always support Megan. And they were like, ‘Where’s everyone else?’ And I was pointing up to where they were.”
But missing out on the Premium Level luxuries proved to be no loss in the end for Michael. Ireland kept their automatic World Cup qualification hopes alive that night with a dramatic 3-2 victory. Amber Barrett provided the match-winner in the 90th minute, and Michael had the best view in the house.
“I was right in front of where Amber celebrated the third goal,” he continued.
“It was great because I got down to Megan for a hug. I wouldn’t have got that, so it worked out well.”
The Ireland women’s team have enjoyed some famous results at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in recent years. It’s quickly becoming their favourite venue. Along with that massive result against the Dutch, you can also add a 1-0 win over Slovenia from the 2025 Nations League to the list.
It all started in 2024, with a 3-1 result against France to mark their first win of their Euro 2025 qualification campaign. It was also Ireland’s first senior women’s home international outside of Dublin since June 2012.
Megan came on in the last few minutes, and sent in a corner for Anna Patten to score Ireland’s third goal of the game. But for the Connollys, there were some challenging emotions to work through during that game.
“She did some of the media before the game but she almost didn’t feature,” Luke begins. “She came on, took a corner, and they got the third goal. That put a positive spin on what would have been a fairly disastrous trip to Cork for us. She just wasn’t getting in under Eileen (Gleeson). But that’s our hit.
“There was huge support there. There were 300 girls down there who wanted to run out onto the pitch after the game. There’s that part of it as well.
“That’s what you sometimes don’t appreciate. From canvassing the schools to winning in Cork in front of girls. Maybe we don’t appreciate that side of it enough.”
The Connollys have followed Megan’s Ireland career closely, even when they couldn’t watch her play. In the days before TV coverage, they only had an FAI stream to rely on that didn’t have any live actual footage of the game.
“We remember watching the bar like a Football Manager game,” Luke explains. “If we were attacking, it would go green. We’d just keep watching the bar and if they missed a chance, we’d be like, ‘Oh, fuck sake.’ So, it’s nice to actually watch games instead of making up scenarios in our head.”
They feel all the bad moments with Megan, as much as the good ones. On the night Ireland secured World Cup qualification in 2022, Megan was at home with her family. They were all together for Amber Barrett’s famous winning goal against Scotland at Hampden Park.
A surreal memory. They knew Megan should be playing, but was unavailable due to a serious injury. Two fractured ribs and a grade three laceration of the kidney forced her to watch the drama unfold on TV.
Luke was still playing for Nemo Rangers in those days, and missed the first half of the game due to training. Someone kept him informed of the updates before he could get home to watch the second half.
In 2021, during another World Cup qualifier against Sweden, Luke used a different method to stay informed.
“We watched the first half, and then I had training. We were getting ready for a [championship] semi-final, and I had the phone in my sock.”
Of course, the Connollys all flew out to Australia too for the tournament itself. A historic occasion for Irish football and a career highlight for Megan. The first group game against the host nation, Australia, was almost overwhelming for Luke.
“We were definitely emotional when they were walking out because it’s kind of like a ‘She did it’ moment.”
****
Gut Check Time
It’s about a week into Megan Connolly’s transfer to Lazio, and she wants to come home. This is her third club as a professional footballer, but it’s not her first experience with homesickness.
She was struck down with a bout of it during her final years at Florida State as her role in the team gradually changed from influential leader to impact player.
Now she’s showing symptoms again as she tries to adjust to life in Italy. She’s used to certain training methods from her time with Brighton and Bristol in the Women’s Super League.
But it’s different in Lazio. They use old-school training methods. It’s an all-male coaching staff too.
The heat doesn’t make it any easier. It’s 40 degrees outside and Megan’s accommodation doesn’t have any air conditioning.
Megan’s mother, Freda, sobbed for weeks when her youngest left the house to go to Florida for four years. But in these moments of doubt, she’s the one that says what her daughter needs to hear.
“You’ve signed a contract. You have to honour it.”
It gets easier for Megan as the weeks go by. She checks herself into a hotel for a month to catch up on some sleep in an air-conditioned room. Within a month, she’s in a beautiful apartment. She then makes her first start at centre-back against Roma. The perfect tonic for a bad case of homesickness.
“When you’re playing well, stuff like that tends to fade a bit,” Luke explains. “She’s at the point now where they’ve had girls come over, and she can see if they’ll last because it is such a culture shock.
“In Brighton, the training facilities are top class. Lazio have improved and have their own facilities. But if the men’s team have to go out on the pitch, they’ll (the women’s team) be demoted to the (other pitch). Because it’s so hot in Italy this month, they actually train on astroturf.
“So, there’s still a bit of an old-school approach there. And in pre-season, they’re running. There’s no footballs.”
****
Local Landmarks
The Connolly home lies in the shadow of two great stadiums in Cork. Turner’s Cross is their address, not far from the home ground of Cork City. It was a regular haunt for the Connollys when the children were young.
The home games they attended in 2005 were particularly memorable as Cork City edged out Derry City to win the Premier Division. Their title race went to the final day when Damien Richardson’s side earned a 2-0 win over the Candystripes at a packed-out Turner’s Cross to secure a first Premier Division title since 1993.
Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the headquarters of Cork GAA, is the other major sporting venue within reach of the Connolly household. Visits to Páirc Uí Chaoimh would come in later years for the Connollys. Luke’s career with the Cork footballers, combined with county final appearances for Nemo Rangers, has given them plenty of days out.
That could have been Megan’s life too. She also played for Nemo Rangers and represented Cork up to the U16 grade before she was prompted to make a decision. An All-Ireland final against Galway was clashing with a match for Ireland, and the message relayed to her father was clear.
“If she doesn’t come to Dublin, she can play Gaelic for the rest of her life.”
“And I said to her, ‘You’ve got to do one or the other.’”
Michael is certain that a future in a Cork jersey was there for her. Centre-forward was her best position, and she was a dominant force in that sport too.
“I remember when she was 14, 15, they brought out a rule in Cork of one hop, one solo, and you had to get rid of the ball then. Because certain girls would just run through the whole place.
“So I said to Megan, ‘Just throw it on the floor and go with it and dribble through.’
“We played a club in Cork and the manager was running onto the pitch shouting, ‘She can’t do that!’”
Soccer won her heart and brought her down a different road. But she would eventually find herself at the gates of Páirc Uí Chaoimh too.
When they were young, the back garden was the preferred venue for the Connolly kids. Matches. Kicking drills. Basically, anything that involved ball work would keep them out on the grass for hours.
“There’s plants that can speak for the amount of games we had at home,” Luke recalls. “The remnants of tomato trees. Glass houses that didn’t last too long.”
Nicole would normally retire after a match that was up to five goals. That left Luke and Megan to play on. The new target would be best of 50. Last one left standing. Their battles could go on until nightfall.
At that point, Michael would be pleading with them to come inside.
“I would be saying to Luke, ‘Just leave her win.’ And then at about six o’clock, Megan would come in with the chest out. ’27-26. I just won.’”
But those victories weren’t built on any appeals for leniency. Luke could see that she was getting stronger with every game, and could do little to stop her.
“There’s four years between us, but it wasn’t too long where I was like, ‘I’m not letting her fucking win.’”
The garden is also where both Megan and Luke became dead-ball specialists. Luke could kick frees off the ground in Gaelic football, while Megan learned to become proficient at swinging in corners as well as hooking frees around a wall of defenders.
A famous example is from the U19 European Championships in 2014. Ireland, who were appearing at the competition for the first time, were 1-1 with Sweden in a group game when Connolly stood over a free with 10 minutes to go. With the aid of the crossbar, she knocked it into the top corner to send Ireland into the semi-finals.
(Skip to 1:05 for Connolly’s match-winning free)
Her corners are a staple for Ireland. Both arms raised before applying the whip is the typical routine. Her delivery in the 89th minute of Ireland’s win over France in 2024 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh is an important one to note. Connolly left her mark on the pitch that’s close to home, using the tricks her father taught her.
“Frees and corners were a family thing,” Luke says. “The reason he taught us was basically, ‘If you’re having a bad game, give them a reason not to take you off.’ I don’t think it really happened with Megan, but if there ever was a day when you were having a bad game, you could say, ‘Yeah, but we need her for the corners.’
“It’s a key part of her Irish career.”
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Quiet Confidence
Megan was always a quiet player on the field. Hardly a word, according to Michael. And not very expressive either. She never broke into wild or excessive celebrations after a goal. Never goaded an opponent when she was dominating a game.
That was an important quality when she was such a formidable presence on the field. Her gamesmanship earned her a lot of respect as she progressed from Corinthians to Florida State. Her international career started by making an U15 squad. In 2014, she was on that Ireland U19 side at the European Championships.
It was packed with future greats of women’s sport. Sarah Rowe, a current star of the AFLW, was involved as was Cork camogie All-Ireland winner Amy O’Connor. Katie McCabe and Chloe Mustaki were there too, and still share an Ireland dressing room with Megan.
Luke had a different personality on the field. His father laughs in agreement, and follows it up with a story to illustrate the difference between his two children.
The scene is the 2020 Cork premier senior football final – played in 2021 due to Covid – between Nemo Rangers and their rivals Castlehaven. Luke has just scored his second goal to help seal a 3-7 to 0-13 victory. He raises his arms to the crowd in celebration before dropping a finger to his lips, shushing the Castlehaven supporters.
The Connolly men take up the story.
“His mother was saying, ‘What’s he doing?’ And I says, ‘He’s not doing what he’s supposed to be doing.’ He ran across jeering them.”
Luke laughs as he interjects.
“I don’t think that’s accurate now. They were calling me names.”
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There And Back Again
Another visit to Páirc Uí Chaoimh awaits for Ireland. And the Connollys. As the World Cup qualification journey continues against Kazakhstan, the venue where they have a 3-0 record was the only place that could host such a crucial fixture. The first leg of the play-off is coming up this Friday in Astana Arena before Carla Ward’s side return to the banks of the Lee on Tuesday, 13 October.
Another homecoming of sorts for Megan and her lifelong friend, Denise O’Sullivan. An image of the Cork comrades in their Ireland shirts is immortalised in a traffic box mural in the city. A fitting dedication to their legacy.
“She’s always had Megan’s back,” Luke adds. “If Megan’s not playing, she’d be saying, ‘You should be playing, girl.’”
The Connollys will also be in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday, 10 October in their Nemo Rangers colours for a senior football semi-final against Carrigaline. Luke is part of the backroom team these days. He stopped playing in 2023 with five senior county medals and two Munster crowns to his name. They’ve lost the last three county finals, but he’s hoping for a different ending this year.
“I have a jersey for Shea. We have a family photo from last year which is the first time that the three generations were there. It would be nice to win one as a coach.”
Lots to look forward to in the next few weeks just down the road from where it all started in Turner’s Cross.
“You still think it’s going to disappear in the morning. If anything happened, she’s had such a career. She’s been through Florida State, Brighton, Bristol, World Cup, Lazio.
“When we were canvassing in school, you’d be saying, ‘Remember now, this is all for you.’”
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