She was born in New York, raised in Meath and plays her rugby in Gloucester, but this week in Brighton has been a homecoming for Sam Monaghan.
The Ireland co-captain arrived on the south coast of England in the summer of 2016, and with no Gaelic football team to join, she decided to give rugby a go.
Nine years later, the 32-year-old is back where it all began, leading Ireland against the defending world champions.
"It's great that I get to experience this place with such a special team," Monaghan says, ahead of tomorrow's game against New Zealand at the Brighton and Hove Albion Stadium
"This town means a lot to me, it's where I first started playing ruby, where I first picked up this incredible sport, and only for the group I started playing with at Lewes RFC I'd never be here.
"They were such a tightknit community and really pushed me on to be better than I ever though I could be. It's a great town, an absolutely great venue for this special tournament."
Even with a game to prepare for, there has been time to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on her journey from there to here.
She’s called into Molly Malone’s Irish bar, which she managed during her time in this city, and where she would work 15-hour shifts until 4am before getting up again at 8am to play a game.
"I met my old boss and we had a good chat. And she reminded me of some stories we had. I used to bring the rugby team in there quite a bit.
"It was a fan favourite and it's mad because I remember working one night. It's an amazing venue for live music, and one of the lads was up singing. And I was like, 'God, imagine if all my favourite people were in this room, and I got to have a huge party with everyone there’.
"And this weekend, all of my favourite people are in Brighton, one of my favourite places, and bumping into people like my room-mate, Maud Muir, who plays for England. She's staying down below, we met for coffee yesterday."
Monaghan missed last year’s famous win against New Zealand in Vancouver as she battled through her rehab from an ACL injury, a bittersweet game to watch on TV in the early hours of a Monday morning just under a year ago.
"I remember the girls that weren't in Vancouver had a dinner the next night. Christy Haney organised a dinner for us all to connect.
"It's really hard, we were so incredibly proud of the girls but to be so far away, you kind of feel distant from it. They got together, I rang them on Zoom and we all just ate dinner together. It's still a special moment for us, and we shared our thoughts on the game."
Monaghan isn’t the only one who missed out on that win. Béibhinn Parsons was out with a broken leg and Aoibheann Reilly has an ACL issue of her own.
And it’s made the Ireland second row even more determined to create another special moment on Sunday.
"I know from myself, I would have killed to be involved and just be over there with the girls.
"It just gives me a lot of ammo going into Sunay, knowing I get the chance to be out there, and for the girls who weren't involved. It's such an amazing team to play against, the world champions, you don't get to do that every day."
It’s been a special week Monaghan. Not only has she been able to reconnect with old friends in Brighton, but her brother Stephen has flown over from New York to see her play live for the first time, while she’s also got to meet her six-month-old niece Delilah.
A beautiful evening in Brighton with Kingfishr! 💚#WeAreIreland pic.twitter.com/3JfjD2sYgV
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 6, 2025
To cap it off, the squad had the pleasure of attending a small gig with the band ‘Kingfishr’ on Friday night, whose song ‘Killeagh’ has been the anthem of choice in the Irish changing room after their pool wins against Japan and Spain.
"Just by chance, they were playing in Brighton last night which was amazing.
"Their messages are to inspire communities. And if you listen to the lyrics of their song, it’s all about community and how they can galvanise together and inspire people through their performances which aligns really well what we're trying to do.
"It was a really special moment. I think we almost blew the roof off that place. It was really intimate gig.
"The lads were great, they put on one of our jerseys and we all sang together and got a picture afterwards.
"I think those lyrics really hit home and they sing with such passion and pride, and hopefully we can play with that passion and pride on Sunday."
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