West Coast Eagles’ Irish midfielder Aisling McCarthy had the incredible opportunity of connecting with Irish band The Corrs on Wednesday night before their concert at RAC Arena.

The Corrs are an Irish family band who combine pop rock with traditional Irish themes within their music and are renowned for hit songs such as ‘Breathless’, ‘Runaway’ and ‘Forgiven, Not Forgotten’.

McCarthy joined the band backstage and presented the group with an Eagles home guernsey, an Indigenous Round guernsey and a football.

Moving to Australia from Ireland ahead of her AFLW debut season in 2019, McCarthy said the experience made her feel closer to home.

“The concert was amazing, there was a great atmosphere, and it was an unreal experience to be able to go backstage and meet the band personally,” McCarthy said.

“It’s always great to build connections with Irish people, especially when I’m so far from home.

“Sport and music bring people together and I’m so grateful to have been able to meet The Corrs last night and build more connections.

“The majority of the audience was Irish too and it made me feel closer to home being immersed in a sea of Irish.”

Adil Cader, member of WA Football Women in Advisory Committee and founder of the Talking Foreign Affairs podcast, helped to facilitate the guernsey presentation.

“The AFLW is home to 33 Irish players and Irish music has had a strong influence in Australia, it was only natural to bring the two together,” Cader said.

“The increasing prominence of Gaelic football and AFL in both countries has helped deepen the understanding of both cultures, and players like Aisling have been great ambassadors not only for Irish sport in Australia, but also for raising awareness on Australian sport in Ireland.”