'Hey Dad, I'm going to the World Cup'

Athlone rugby player pays emotional tribute to her late father after World Cup selection

An Athlone rugby player has paid an emotional tribute to her late dad after being named today among the final 32-player squad to contest the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup, which gets underway in England later this month.

In a social media post, Moydrum's Anna McGann, said she is “incredibly honoured and proud” to be selected to represent Ireland, but poignantly described the defining moment of her rugby career to date as being “bittersweet” due to being unable to share it with her late father Mick, who passed away two years ago this month after a brave battle with cancer.

“Hey Dad, I'm going to the World Cup” said the post, which added that “moments like these are so bittersweet when the one person you want to share it with isn’t here. It’s been an absolute journey but I know for sure Dad has been watching over me every step of the way – always doing it for you Dad.”

Having been instrumental in encouraging her to make the switch from playing hockey to trying her hand at rugby, Anna McGann has spoken publicly on a number of occasions about the pivotal role her late father played throughout her sporting career, and of how her mother, Terry, and her extended family have been her rock and her support since his passing in 2022.

The Athlone native was awarded women's 'Try of the Year' at the Rugby Players Ireland Awards after her hat-trick heroics in Ireland's Six Nations defeat of Italy earlier this year. She is one of six rugby players from the wider Midlands region to make the World Cup squad.

Perhaps one the biggest surprises on the list of players is the inclusion of Athlone native Ivana Kiripati, who only earned her first Ireland Senior cap on August 2 in the pre-Women's World Cup warm-up fixture against Scotland. The former Buccaneers RFC player, who is now with Roscommon club Creggs, is the daughter Mele and Kolo Kiripati, who have had a long and influential association with the Athlone Club.

She joins two Ballinasloe-based players, Béibhinn Parsons and Méabh Deely, along with Aoibheann Reilly from nearby Creagh and Aoife Dalton from Clara in Offaly.

Meábh Deely only started playing rugby when a club was formed in Ballinasloe and, in an ironic twist of fate, she played alongside her now World Cup teammates, Beibhinn Parsons and Aoibheann Reilly on an Ardscoil Mhuire team which went on to win the inaugural Connacht Girls Schools’ Rugby League back in 2019.

Aoibheann Reilly is daughter of Fionnuala and Stephen Reilly (a former principal of Garbally College). As well as playing rugby, she also played football for Pádraig Pearses while her brother Colm played rugby for Buccaneers and Connacht.

She has suffered two anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the past, one of which ruled her out of a chance at representing Ireland with the Rugby Sevens at last year's Olympic Games in Paris.

Ballinasloe’s Béibhinn Parsons suffered two leg breaks in 2024 but started against Canada in Ireland’s last World Cup warm up game as she crossed for two tries.

Ireland commence their World Cup campaign against Japan on Sunday, August 24 before they face Spain and New Zealand in their other pool games.