'Football has brought me back' - Arran Healy opens up on the passing of his mother

TOUGH TIME: Kerry's Arran Healy takes on Cork City's AJ Bridge during the Grandon's Toyota Munster senior cup at Mayfield Pic: Eddie O'Hare.

It’s just over two years since Arran Healy’s mother Kelly passed away.

It's just over two years - 4th April 2024 - since Arran, his father Colin and sister Hollie’s lives changed forever.

And on the day Arran celebrates turning 21-years-old, the young Kerry midfielder reflected on that devastating moment which has had a profound impact on him, on the pitch as well as off it.

“Everyone deals with it differently,” began Healy.

“I would have said I've had a hard two years and a half because I would have been so close to my mother.

“It has been tough and sometimes. Football is kind of a distraction, but then at other times, it’s also tough because sometimes when things aren't going well, you start getting into a bit of a negative mindset and you start bringing up things that happened before.

“Obviously football has brought me back and it's helped me a lot but in other ways, it can be difficult.

“Sometimes when things don't go well, say if I don't play well on a Friday, I go home and on Saturday or Sunday I wouldn't be in the best place.

“Everything just builds up. But there's a match every Friday night and you get to look forward to it, then you're able to think more positively.

"It has brought myself and my dad a lot closer. It has. It's me, my dad and my sister. We're very close. We've become very close over the last two years.

“I know that it's not easy for them and it's not easy for me, but it is what it is really. I can't really play it down or say it's not hard because it is.

“I think anyone that would be in that situation would say it's hard as well. I struggled for a while. On the pitch and all that wasn't really going well. I went through a bit of a tough time.”

His father and manager Colin recently jumped to his defence after the playmaker was believed to have been subjected heavy criticism from a Kerry supporter during their draw at home to UCD.

But Arran believes he is starting to show what he is capable of following a difficult period.

“I think now I'm coming out the other side of it. I'm playing a lot more and I'm building back up my confidence a small bit,” added the former Cork City player.

“But I still have plenty more to go through because it's still quite fresh. I love it down here. It's brilliant. I came down halfway through the season last year and probably didn't play enough.

“I know there were lads ahead of me in my position and I probably wasn't up to it.

“Unfortunately, I picked up two little injuries that set me back for four or five weeks at the start of this season.

“But since then, I've worked hard and I think my performance has been getting better each game.

“Coming down here, meeting different people, it was very enjoyable and I love it so far.”