Limerick sporting legend to release book detailing her fascinating life on and of the pitch

LIMERICK'S former Irish soccer and rugby international Jackie McCarthy O'Brien is set to release a memoir detailing her life both on and off the pitch. 

McCarthy O'Brien played for the Republic of Ireland women's team from 1981 to 1993 where she represented the national team 13 times. 

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She also played for the Irish rugby team for four years, from 1994 to 1998, with 13 caps to her name in rugby also.

She was the country's first mixed-race player in both games. A vocal advocate against racism, in 2021, she appeared on the Claire Byrne show speaking on the subject.

She is openly gay and has participated in Limerick Pride events. Her daughter Sam McCarthy is also a football player.

McCarthy O'Brien has led a truly remarkable life, from being born in 1961 to an Irish mother and Jamaican father (whom she never met) in Birmingham to growing up in Limerick.

She was put in an industrial school as a baby by a priest for being an "illegitimate" black child and not recovered by her mother until she was five.

As a teen she excelled at sport and played for Ireland in soccer, but when she was sexually harassed by a coach she changed to Irish rugby team.

She got married at 21 before accepting her sexual feelings for women, and leaving the marriage with her three young children.

Always a hilarious raconteur, this memoir tells her extraordinary story up until becoming a TikTok star and LGBTQ+ icon in her sixties.   

Jackie's book, 'We Made It, Kid' will be available in bookstores nationwide from October 2.