Ashling Thompson reveals the meanings behind her top-five tattoos

From tattoos that represent her character to covering-up late-night mistakes, Ashling Thompson has revealed her top-five tattoos, writes Stephen Barry.

The Cork camogie captain says her body is a canvas that tells her story, and even documented the creation of her 13th tattoo on a live stream.

Her favourite tattoo is her most recent, a girl wearing a tiger’s head as a hat on her upper right arm.

“I think this tattoo best describes me as a person; on the field I'm ferocious, but in general I'm soft as shit,” she told RedBull.com.

Thompson, who got her first tattoo aged 15, also has a crown on her middle finger as an f-you to a critic and a rose on her shoulder to cover-up a drunken mistake over the date – her nephew’s date of birth – she wanted tattooed on her.

However, the Newtownshandrum native's tattoos generally have personal meanings, including an Albert Einstein quote and a forearm tattoo to represent her family members.

“There are obviously a couple that didn't have meaning to them – especially when I was younger and just got them for the sake of it.

“But I suppose they all do, in a way. A lot of them are based around my achievements with my sport, and based around life in general; my family.

“I definitely will expand my collection, but it always takes me a good while to come up with the inspiration - and I'd like to take the time to appreciate this one.”