Áine O'Gorman says that women's soccer in Ireland didn't bank in enough on the national team qualifying for the World Cup in 2023.
The Girls in Green reached the game's biggest tournament for the first time, where they failed to get out of their group in Australia.
Since then, they've missed out on a place at Euro 2025, coming up short against Wales in the play-offs at the end of last year.
They face a two-legged clashed with Belgium later this month as they look to move back up to the top tier of the Nations League.
O'Gorman was speaking on RTÉ's Sunday Sport about her proudest achievements in the game, and one feat stuck out for her.
"It has to be going to the World Cup," the Wicklow woman said.
"That's something you dream of as a kid and I was lucky to live that dream."
Asked by host Shane Dawson whether the women's game had stagnated since then, O'Gorman added: "I'd be lying if I said we really kicked on like we should have. I don't think we piggybacked on the success of that enough.
"I think it's about nurturing the young talent now and hopefully with this academy funding that will help to nurture that talent. It's about contact there for the young players in high performance environments and they [can] continue to be challenged to improve."
O'Gorman previously retired from the Ireland team in 2018, only to come back and be involved at the World Cup. Having earned her 119th cap, she then called it a day with Ireland, but continued to play with Shamrock Rovers.
She scored a goal in their final league game of the 2025 season, a 5-4 victory over Shelbourne on Saturday, and she says her club career won't be echoing her international one.
"Amber Barrett said to me, 'you're actually retiring this time? I feel like you're coming out every week with these retirement posts,'" she joked.
"But yeah, this is it, I'm 36 now. It's time for me to hang up my boots and see what other way I can contribute back to the game.
"I've always given 100%. I'm committed. I always have high standards set for myself and I think it's just getting more difficult for me to maintain those high standards.
"Stephanie Roche retired last year. Kylie Murphy stepped away, Karen Duggan, players that I grew up playing with in the League of Ireland as well.
"So, it just felt like it was the right time for me."
Listen to the full interview with Áine O'Gorman from RTÉ's Sunday Sport below
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