Leinster's Jimmy O'Brien the latest off the Eadestown production line

Since Tadhg Beirne blazed a trail by taking up the oval ball on a permanent basis a little over a decade ago, several others from the village have followed.

28 February 2022; Jimmy O'Brien during Leinster Rugby squad training at UCD in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

When people used to think about the Kildare village of Eadestown from a sporting context, the game of rugby was one of the furthest things from their minds.

Located within earshot of the famed Punchestown Racecourse, it was also the breeding ground for Gaelic football star Larry Tompkins before he went on to achieve All-Ireland glory with Cork in 1989 and 1990.