Across the quiet towns of Ireland's northwest coast, midlands, and west, families set alarms for the small hours of the night to watch daughters and sisters compete in a sport most of them had never heard of a generation ago. Forty-seven Irish women now play in Australia's AFLW, and the bonds they carry across the distance have turned predawn darkness into something resembling celebration. This weekend, as Ireland faces Australia in the first representative match of its kind, those midnight vigils become a shared national moment — proof that sport, at its most human, is simply love expressed a
Irish families lose sleep for AFLW stars as 47 countrymen compete Down Under
There is no higher honour in sport in my opinion
Mark
Why do you think these families are willing to lose sleep night after night for a sport that wasn't part of their culture until recently?
Mimi
Because it's not really about the sport itself—it's about having someone you love doing something extraordinary on the other side of the world. The AFLW gave these players a chance to leave, to compete at the highest level, and their families found a way to stay connected to that journey, even if it means waking at three in the morning.
Mark
Does the fact that it's forty-seven Irish players make a difference? Would one or two feel as isolating?
Mimi
Absolutely. Forty-seven creates a community. It means other families understand what you're doing. It means there's infrastructure—streaming services start to cater to Irish audiences, radio commentaries get shared. One player is a curiosity. Forty-seven is a movement.
Mark
Sharon mentioned not being able to celebrate Eilish's historic goal with anyone awake. That seems like a real loss.
Mimi
It is. That's the trade-off nobody talks about. You get to witness something incredible, but you witness it alone. The video call with your parents becomes a substitute for being in the same room. It's why the Australia v Ireland match matters so much—it's the first time these families might actually be watching together, even if some are still in Ireland and some are in Sydney.
Mark
Alan Rowe said he went from knowing nothing about the rules to loving the game passionately. How does that transformation happen?
Mimi
Necessity and love. You start watching because your daughter is playing. You don't understand what's happening. But you watch every game, and gradually the patterns emerge. You see the same players grow. You understand why a particular move matters. And then one day you realize you're not just watching your daughter anymore—you're watching a sport you've come to genuinely love.
Mark
What does this say about diaspora communities more broadly?
Mimi
That they don't fade just because people move away. They transform. These families found a way to participate in something their relatives are doing thousands of miles away. The AFLW didn't create that bond, but it gave it a shape, a schedule, a reason to gather at three in the morning.
El Pulso
- Forty-seven Irish women competing in the AFLW means forty-seven families somewhere in Ireland losing sleep, night after night, to stay connected across a twelve-hour time difference.
- When Eilish O'Dowd scored the fastest opening goal in AFLW history, her sister Sharon watched alone in the dark while her children slept — the triumph arriving with no one to share it.
- The Wall family in Dunboyne has turned match mornings into community gatherings of thirty or more, with breakfast laid out and radio commentary as backup when streams fail.
- Alan Rowe of Ballina knew nothing of Australian rules football when his daughter Sarah left for Collingwood; he has since attended every milestone game, traveling to Sydney repeatedly, and now calls it one of the great sports he loves.
- The inaugural Australia v Ireland representative match this weekend has crystallized these scattered midnight rituals into a single, collective Irish sporting occasion.
Across the quiet towns of Ireland's northwest coast, midlands, and west, families set alarms for the small hours of the night to watch daughters and sisters compete in a sport most of them had never heard of a generation ago. Forty-seven Irish women now play in Australia's AFLW, and the bonds they carry across the distance have turned predawn darkness into something resembling celebration. This weekend, as Ireland faces Australia in the first representative match of its kind, those midnight vigils become a shared national moment — proof that sport, at its most human, is simply love expressed across time zones.
In Ballinamore, County Leitrim, Sharon O'Dowd sets an alarm in the middle of the night whenever her younger sister Eilish — whom she helped raise — takes the field for the GWS Giants in Sydney. She watches alone while her children sleep, sometimes just listening to commentary, and says she doesn't mind the hour. She is one of thousands across Ireland doing the same thing for relatives competing in the AFLW.
There are forty-seven Irish players in the league now, a concentration of talent drawn from a country where Australian rules football was barely known a generation ago. Eilish's debut offered a glimpse of what these families endure and celebrate in equal measure: she scored within fifteen seconds of the opening bounce — the fastest goal in AFLW history — while Sharon watched on her phone, stunned, with no one awake to share the moment. Her parents missed it entirely, having logged in too late. They have watched the replay many times since.
In Dunboyne, County Meath, the Wall family has made match mornings into something closer to a community event. Their daughter Vikki is a cross-code athlete who won back-to-back All-Ireland titles in Gaelic football, represented Ireland in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics, and has claimed two AFLW premierships with North Melbourne. More than thirty people have gathered at the family home for breakfast and live viewing. When streaming fails, they switch to radio. Last year Vikki's younger sister Sarah was drafted to the same club, meaning the family now needs only one early alarm for both.
In Ballina, County Mayo, Alan Rowe arrived at the AFLW knowing nothing about the game. His daughter Sarah had moved to Australia to play for Collingwood, and he taught himself the rules from scratch. He has not missed a single one of her games, traveling to Sydney for her fiftieth, her seventy-fifth, and Collingwood's 2022 semi-final. He will be there again this weekend. Back home, Sarah's mother Grainne will watch surrounded by aunties, uncles, and cousins.
This weekend's inaugural Australia v Ireland representative match has given all of these families something to wake for together. The O'Dowds plan to gather with Irish flags to watch Eilish represent her country at North Sydney Oval. "There is no higher honour in sport in my opinion," Sharon said — words that carry the full weight of every midnight alarm she has ever set.
In the middle of the night in Ballinamore, a small town in County Leitrim on Ireland's northwest coast, Sharon O'Dowd sets an alarm and waits for the broadcast to begin. Two years ago, her younger sister Eilish—twelve years her junior, whom Sharon helped raise—moved to Sydney to play Australian rules football for the Giants. Now, whenever GWS takes the field, Sharon wakes in darkness to watch, sometimes listening to commentary alone while her three- and six-year-old children sleep. "I don't mind getting up this early as I love to watch her and the Giants play," she told ABC Sport. If the game starts particularly early, she returns to bed afterward. She is one of thousands across Ireland doing the same thing, night after night, for relatives competing in the AFLW—Australian Football League Women's competition.
There are forty-seven Irish players now competing in the league, a remarkable concentration of talent drawn from a country where Australian rules football was virtually unknown a generation ago. Many of them will feature this weekend in the inaugural Australia v Ireland representative match in Sydney, a game that has galvanized Irish communities across the country and turned early mornings into family events. Eilish O'Dowd's debut for GWS became a case study in the power of these connections. In her first game, she won the tap in the ruck and sprinted straight through the corridor to score within fifteen seconds—the fastest opening goal in AFLW history. Sharon watched from her phone, stunned, unable to celebrate with anyone in her sleeping household. By the time she texted her parents, the moment had already passed them by; they hadn't logged into their streaming account quickly enough to see it happen. They have since watched the replay many times over.
In Dunboyne, a town of fewer than ten thousand people in County Meath, the Wall family has turned match days into community events. Tom and Caroline Wall's daughter Vikki is a cross-code athlete who led County Meath to back-to-back All-Ireland Senior Championship titles in 2021 and 2022 before signing with North Melbourne as an international rookie. She played all thirteen games in her debut AFLW season, stepped away in 2023 to compete in rugby sevens for Ireland at the Paris Olympics, and returned to win premierships with the Kangaroos in 2024 and 2025. "We've had events in our house where 30-plus people come and have breakfast and cheer on the teams," Tom said. The family wakes before dawn to watch or, when streaming proves difficult to access, listens to radio commentary instead. "But it's worth it," he added. Vikki's younger sister Sarah was drafted to the same club last year, which at least means the Walls still need only one early alarm.
Across the country in Ballina, County Mayo, Alan Rowe has become a devoted student of a sport he knew nothing about when his daughter Sarah first moved to Australia. Sarah represented Mayo at every age level before relocating to play for Collingwood, where she debuted in 2019 and became a fan favorite. She also won an A-League Women's championship with the Central Coast Mariners in 2025. Alan has not missed a single one of her games. "My passion for the AFLW is total," he told ABC Sport. "I originally had not a clue about the rules, regulations or how to play the game but over a period of time, I've got to understand everything about it, I've seen the great players grow and understood the game passionately and very deeply, to now say that it's one of the great games that I love watching." He has made the journey to Sydney for all of Sarah's milestone moments—her fiftieth game, her seventy-fifth, Collingwood's 2022 semi-final against Adelaide—and he will be there again this weekend.
Back in Ballina, Sarah's mother Grainne will watch the Australia v Ireland match surrounded by the extended family: aunties, uncles, cousins. "It's one of the big days of sporting life within the Irish calendar," Alan said. For Sharon O'Dowd, the distance between Ireland and Sydney remains the hardest part of having a sister in the AFLW. "When she has had a great game I would just love to be there to be able to tell her how amazing she is, and also when she is having a hard time or she gets injured I would love to be able to make sure she is ok," she said. Video calls help bridge the gap. This weekend, though, the entire O'Dowd family plans to wake early together, Irish flags in hand, to watch Eilish represent her country against Australia at North Sydney Oval. "It is an incredibly proud moment for all our family to see Eilish wear an Irish jersey and represent her country," Sharon said. "There is no higher honour in sport in my opinion."
Citas Notables
I don't mind getting up this early as I love to watch her and the Giants play— Sharon O'Dowd, on waking in the middle of the night to watch her sister play
My passion for the AFLW is total. I originally had not a clue about the rules, but over time I've come to understand and love the game passionately— Alan Rowe, father of Collingwood player Sarah Rowe
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