Ireland internationals Niamh O'Dowd and Brittany Hogan have left the IRFU's central contract system to join Gloucester Hartpury and Sale Sharks respectively.
O'Dowd joins Gloucester for the 2025/26 Premiership Women's Rugby campaign as injury cover, while Hogan will move to Sale from 1 January.
The pair are the latest Irish players to head across the water. Sam Monaghan, Neve Jones and Ellena Perry will be familiar faces to O'Dowd at Gloucester, Vicky Irwin awaits Hogan at Sale, while Aoife Wafer departed Leinster to join Harlequins after the World Cup.
Meanwhile Linda Djougang, Meabh Deely and Siobhan McCarthy have left the IRFU programme but, according to the union, "remain players of national interest".
In total the IRFU announced central contracts for 35 players across the women's high performance programme.
Seven players have been awarded their first national contract having progressed through the Women's National Talent Squad (WNTS) pathway and represented the Ireland Women's Under-20s last season.
Forwards Ailish Quinn, Beth Buttimer, Ivana Kiripati, Jane Neill and Jemima Adams Verling have joined the full-time centralised programme for the 2025/26 season, while backs Caitriona Finn and Chisom Ugwueru have also earned their first senior contracts.
Quinn and Kiripati made their Test debuts during the Women's Rugby World Cup warm-up fixtures in August, with Kiripati and Buttimer included in Scott Bemand's final tournament squad. Former Ireland Under-20s captain Neill, Finn and Ugwueru have also been involved in senior Ireland squads in recent seasons.
Ireland start their Six Nations championship against England at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on Saturday 11 April.
For the home-based players, the Celtic Challenge campaign gets underway on Saturday 20 December as the Clovers (Munster and Connacht) host Gwalia Lightning and the Wolfhounds (Leinster and Ulster) go head-to-head with Edinburgh in a double-header at Energia Park.
Ireland Women’s contracted players (2025/26 season)
Ailish Quinn
Alana McInerney
Amee-Leigh Costigan
Amy Larn
Anna McGann
Aoibheann Reilly
Béibhinn Parsons
Beth Buttimer
Caitríona Finn
Chisom Ugwueru
Clare Gorman
Dannah O’Brien
Ellen Boylan
Emily Lane
Enya Breen
Erin King
Eve Higgins
Fiona Tuite
Hannah Clarke
Ivana Kiripati
Jane Neill
Jemima Adams Verling
Kate Farrell McCabe
Kathy Baker
Katie Whelan
Katie Corrigan
Lucia Linn
Lucinda Kinghan
Megan Burns
Robyn O’Connor
Ruth Campbell
Sadhbh McGrath
Stacey Flood
Vicky Elmes Kinlan
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
