Arriving in camp for her first senior international call-up, WNL Player of the Year Kelly Brady freely acknowledges that her immediate future at club level is up in the air as we head towards 2026.
The New York-born 23-year-old is almost buckling under the weight of trophies and awards from her stellar first season in the Irish domestic league, the striker firing 26 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in the Cup final, en route to helping Athlone Town to a first-ever double.
Brady finished the year as both the Golden Boot winner and the Player of the Year.
Ahead of the memorable Cup final victory over Bohemians, Brady made clear her ambitions on the international front, declaring that her "passport was ready to go" if the call arrived from Carla Ward. Brady, a former Republic of Ireland Under-19 international, had played Gaelic football as a kid growing up in Tomkins Cave, New York.
As expected, the call has arrived for the upcoming friendly against Hungary, albeit the fixture itself may lack a certain grandeur. Curiously, Ward has insisted that the game go ahead behind closed doors in Marbella with no fans or media present. The stated aim being to "try some bits and pieces" away from the glare of judgmental eyes.
Brady is currently a free agent and has had trials at Crystal Palace recently, and bluntly admits that the feedback from the international camp is that she should head in the direction of full-time football.
"I'm constantly looking for feedback. I try to put my best foot forward. Coming into camp, you're expected to do well and you know you want to be executing," Brady told RTÉ Sport.
"The feedback I got was to hopefully go full-time at a club. Other than that it was to keep having the hungry attitude.
"I'm a free agent now. I haven’t signed back with Athlone and am keeping my options open, seeing what suits me best.
"There's pressure to go and go play in England but I’ll do what’s best for me and see what falls on my plate. I’ll weigh up my options and go from there.
"There's nothing on the table or set in stone. I'm open to anything. I don’t have anything scheduled before Christmas but I’m taking it day by day."
If she is set to depart the midlands, it was nonetheless a memorably and wildly successful stint there. The former U19 international had been playing at the University of Mississippi when her agent pointed her in the direction of Athlone.
For Brady - whose father is from Castleblayney and whose maternal grandfather is from Kinvara - one of the attractions of the move was the chance to attract the notice of the international management.
"Since 19s, I think I had good potential. But the sacrifice that comes with making it up to the senior squad is a lot.
"I had my sights set on it but obviously nothing is ever guaranteed. You've got to stay healthy, you have to be playing well.
"Coming over to Ireland, my hope was that one day I'd be in the squad, so I was able to do well enough - thank you God. I had a great year, was able to impress and draw some attention."
Ward acknowledged after the Cup final that Brady's athleticism had set her apart from the other League of Ireland players they'd watched, praising in particular her movement in the box.
"That's a huge part of my game," says Brady. "Coming from the US, I played a lot of sports growing up, including Gaelic, I've always tried running around to cause chaos for defences. That’s what I do.
"I've said this so many times but would say I want to put my best forward and have fun. My season is over. I’m fit and up to speed. I’ll try to come in here, impress and get into another camp."
The Hungarians may be grateful that the game is behind-closed-doors given they may have seen quite enough of Republic of Ireland teams this month.
2025 has concluded on an unexpectedly buoyant note for Irish football, with the men's team's unforgettable November window coming a month after the women's team beat Belgium over two legs to secure promotion to League A of the Nations League.
"I think there's a buzz right now in Ireland. I was watching the games and everyone watching was just so proud. It's full on your feed of social media and all that stuff, it's great to see that.
"I was at the Belgium playoff game at Aviva Stadium. I had a box seat and all the boxes surrounding me were little girls so excited to be at the game. They were screaming their heads off, it was kind of annoying! (laughs) But it was so fun to be a part of.
"I think everyone's in great spirits. The men's team qualified for playoffs, the recent win the women had. We've just got to put our best foot forward before Christmas now."
