Cobh roots: Ireland star Lily Agg's trip home bringing back early footballing memories

TIES THAT BIND: Ireland Women's National Team midfielder Lily Agg in Cobh.

At a Cobh hotel named originally in honour of Queen Victoria’s 1854 visit, Lily Agg’s arrival this week represented a new form of royalty.

The Commodore Hotel is a reminder of Agg’s lineage, the working environment of two relatives, Sabrina Keohane and Catherine Greaney.

It was from where Agg’s grandmother Breda Greene, like so many of her generation in the 1960s, emigrated to England in search of a better life.

Little did she know her family would spawn to create a footballer responsible for putting Ireland within touching distance of a first-ever World Cup tournament.

It was Agg who sprung from the bench in last month’s penultimate qualifier against Finland to mark her competitive home debut by heading the goal that sealed their place in next Tuesday’s playoff.

Sandwiching between the two international windows a trip down memory lane with her mother Ruth, a qualified nurse like Breda, was a task in itself.

FOOTBALL ROYALTY: Ireland star Lily Agg at Cobh Ramblers WNL U17 training this week. Pic: @CobhRamblersFC

Time was scarce after the opening four Championship games for London City Lionesses and Sunday’s Continental Cup clash against West Ham United but mother and daughter ventured to Leeside for a family reunion.

“Going back to the house where my Grandmother grew up, sitting at the dinner table looking through old photographs, was very emotional for my mom,” said Agg, who assembled with the Ireland squad on Tuesday.

“We never really get a couple of days together, so it was nice and sentimental to go back and get a tour.” 

Their itinerary extended to St Colman’s Park, a haven for her Great Granddad Michael Greene.

His lifelong support for the Rams has been kept in the family by Finbarr and Brian, two of the O’Connor brothers, and Breda would be proud that her local club has harnessed the growth of women’s football by entering teams into the national underage leagues.

Not that she noticed her granddaughter Lily’s nascent football talent.

“I was just nine when she died 20 years ago, still only in her sixties,” recalled Agg, who turns 29 in December.

“It was one of them where, growing up, she'd laugh at me playing football. She found it funny because my older sister hated it.

“I used to have a ball in her back garden, playing with my Granddad, and I’m pretty sure she was shouting at me to watch her plants and flowers.

“But she was so supportive and always allowed me to do it.” And how well she has done it. A promising midfielder in the Arsenal academy when Emma Byrne was in her pomp, Agg did the rounds at various clubs, including a stint with Frankfurt in Germany, before landing at her current residence.

FOOTSTEPS: Ireland midfielder Lily Agg in front of the Sonia O'Sullivan statue on a visit to her hometown in Cobh.

She’s not one-dimensional either, continuing her hybrid arrangement in a division that has turned fully professional this season, a byproduct of the Women’s Super League’s riches.

“I still lecture sports courses every morning to a group of boys aged between 16-18,” she explained. “From there, I go straight to training, having a quick bagel for lunch on the go, where we start at 2pm. It’s a long day getting home at 7.30pm but it’s worth it and I enjoy it.

“I could look for a club, in terms of finances, where I don’t need to teach but I’ve always done it because football was never my main income.

“There’s a disparity in the WSL. The girls at top-four clubs are earning a great, life-changing wage - more than doctors - but unfortunately it’s not that glamorous for the rest. You’re just getting by on the bare minimum.

“Right now, the goal is staying with London City and getting promoted.” Plus finishing off Ireland’s journey to the World Cup. The freedom of Cobh, and the country, awaits.