Former Ireland international Jackie McCarthy O’Brien: ‘When he tried it, there were two things in my head at that moment. ‘If I kick him in the balls, that’s me gone. If I allow him to kiss m

About 10 years ago, Jackie McCarthy O’Brien found herself in Limerick’s Chicken Hut (“the best hangover food you could ever have – you could stand on the gravy”). By then, Jackie had bashed through several glass ceilings: she became the first woman of colour to play for Ireland at senior level on the women’s football and rugby teams, winning 13 international caps for each. Alongside her daughter Sam, Jackie was also one half of the first mother and daughter duo to play soccer for Ireland. But on this one late night in the Chicken Hut, Jackie was simply looking for a feed.