Even from the other side of the world, where playing with a round ball is more prolific than playing with a Sherrin, Ireland provides a strong connection piece to our club's history.

Over the years, the club has been lucky to have an Irish flavour to both it's AFL and AFLW programs with many players making meaningful contributions both on and off the field.

Headlining the club's Irish history is Sydney Swans Hall of Famer Tadhg Kennelly - the first Irish born player to win an AFL Premiership. Who could forget his nod to his heritage on the podium on the last day in September in 2005- that famous Irish jig when the Swans lifted the cup to break a 72-year drought.

Kennelly paved the way for more Irish talent to join the club including current AFLW head coach Colin O’Riordan who joined the Swans from County Tipperary in 2012. O'Riordan played 34 games for the AFL side before retiring due to a chronic hip injury but has remained at the club with coaching roles in the QBE Sydney Swans Academy and now the AFLW team.

There was also former Kerry Gaelic player Tommy Walsh who played five games for Sydney (2012-2014) before a severe hamstring injury hampered his AFL career and Barry O'Connor who hailed from County Wexford and was signed as an International Category B Rookie in 2019. 

The AFLW program also has a strong Irish flair with four players on the current list all from the Emerald Isle. Paris McCarthy and Julie O'Sullivan both joined the club in 2023 from Kerry and have played 23 and 24 AFLW games respectively while Tanya Kennedy, who arrived from Donegal the same year has developed a reputation as one of the toughest and most resilient defenders in her 35 AFLW games. Joining this trio this year is Mary-Kate Lynch who hails from Summerhill where she played Gaelic football for Meath while Jenny Higgins who was on the Swans list in 2023 was also part of the Irish contingent before an ACL injury ended her time at the club.

These players reflect the ongoing and important link between Ireland and our club, a link which I saw first hand on my recent visit to Ireland when I stopped by the South Dublin Swans.

The South Dublin Swans are one of only four AFL teams in Ireland. Based in Bushy Park and Islandbridge, they continue to represent our great sport, donning the red and white as they play in competitions across Europe. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Club President Ben Coghlan, as well as committee members Angela Brain and Melanie Brash. It was a brilliant opportunity to connect in person and share stories from our respective clubs. 

While there, we exchanged signed guernseys. This was a small but meaningful moment that highlighted how sport can unite people, no matter the distance. Despite being thousands of kilometres from home, the sense of familiarity, community, and shared passion for the game was undeniable. 

While President Ben Coghlan is an Irish national and hails from Dublin, Melanie and Angela are Australians from country New South Wales and Victoria respectively. All three of them are big Australian Rules fans but the time zone challenges sees them often tuning in to watch games while eating their breakfast.  

Ben comes from a background of Gaelic Football; he played a season of Australian Rules while living in Canada and now solely plays the game. Mel and Angela both grew up with a strong love of the game and began playing while living in Dublin. 

Being a part of the South Dublin Swans provides Aussies and Irish locals alike with the opportunity for social connection. For many Aussies, it’s a brilliant opportunity to continue playing Australian Rules and connect with Aussie culture while abroad. 

Interestingly however, the majority of their men’s team is Irish, many players began playing gaelic football and some, rugby union. The women’s team are more evenly split between Aussies and Irish.  

Despite being 17,238km away, the South Dublin Swans maintain a strong connection to Sydney. 

“There is an overwhelming amount of Swans guernseys worn at trainings... so there is a decent fanbase here!” Angela explained.

“We all definitely have a soft spot for the Sydney Swans”. 

The club often organises watch parties for any important Swans matches, with the players all turning up in their South Dublin Swans kit, ready to support Sydney. 

Interactions like these are a powerful reminder that AFL truly is a global game, capable of connecting people and communities all over the world.

We continue to value our Irish connections and hopefully facilitate many more interactions like these in the future.