He doesn't think he's been there before but Munster back Sean O’Brien won’t be out of place at Mayo GAA’s Hastings Insurance MacHale Park on Saturday.
O’Brien’s father Garrett captained the Offaly Under-21 team that won the All-Ireland football championship in 1988 so Sean and older brother Conor, the former Leinster centre, were steeped in the tradition.
The family were reared in Westmeath and Sean spent his formative years dovetailing between rugby at Mullingar RFC, football with Shamrocks and hurling with St Oliver Plunkett's.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s BKT URC derby with Connacht, who host a game in the famous Castlebar venue for the first time, O’Brien spoke fondly of his GAA memories.
"I played football and hurling up to 18 and at that age you have to make a decision so I had to put them aside to go for the rugby," the 26-year-old told RTÉ Sport.
"It was a massive part of my childhood growing up.
"We took up rugby at age six or that, so the winters were for rugby and then when the season finished, we’d go back to football and hurling.
"It was good for transferrable skills, especially now I’m playing more on the wing, the high balls, the bit of football was good for that."
On the possibility that Saturday’s visit might be a return trip, he said: "Not that I can recall anyway, I might have been up there as a young lad.
"Dad used to bring myself and my brother around the country to matches but I don’t think Westmeath and Mayo were ever in the same division for anything."
The fixture sold out within days of being announced in January and the prospect of the new experience resonates with O’Brien (below), who played nine times for Connacht in the 2021/22 season after coming through the academy.
"Yeah, 100%, it’s a bit different to a normal week as well," said O’Brien, who has scored nine tries in 26 games since joining from Exeter Chiefs in 2023.
He scored two tries in last weekend's 28-25 loss to Glasgow.
"Being a big football and hurling fan, it is definitely cool to play in these stadiums that you would obviously watch different matches on.
"It is kind off a once in a career thing, we’re not going to be playing in too many GAA stadiums, so it’s a nice one to be involved in.
"[Munster] have obviously played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh a couple of times as well.
"I think it’s good to spread the matches around the provinces and make it easier for fans in other counties because it will make it easier for them to get to the game, so it’s a great idea.
"I don’t know how much more of it we’ll see but I think as long as the GAA are on board I couldn’t see what it wouldn’t happen once or twice a season."
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