Larkin leading the charge for Ringsend and Shelbourne

Abbie Larkin honed her talents by kicking footballs off the walls of Ringsend.

Now the talented Shelbourne teen is on the cusp of a double and aiming to make a serious push for Vera Pauw's Republic of Ireland World Cup squad.

Larkin, 17, is the latest in a line of footballers from the Dublin inner-city suburb who've carved out good careers for themselves.

The likes of Sean Gannon, Kim Flood, Niamh Grant and Larkin's cousin Daniel Kelly all tread the same streets with a ball at their feet. And Larkin, who scored her first senior Ireland goal against Georgia back in June, is making her own mark on the Irish footballing landscape.

"I started hitting the ball off walls, good to get the touch going," she said.

"We didn’t have a football team in school... but I did play Leinster Schools in a great tournament when I was younger. And from there into Under-15s Ireland.

"It's been a great year for me. I think I’ve had a good season last year; I was only really trying to break into the team, even at the start of this season. But when I started to get my 90 minutes in, I was getting my confidence back and kind of being more myself on the pitch.

"And obviously with Ireland, my first goal and debut and all that. I think it has sunk in a bit but now I’m focused on the cup final."

Cousin Kelly has played in two cup finals with Dundalk. He lost one in 2019 but made amends a year later when they beat Shamrock Rovers 4-2 after extra time.

"I haven't spoken to him about his experience but I might do now!" Larkin smiled.

"He’s been a great role model for me, even in quarantine he would bring me out training and keep me fit. He was a great support to me. He’s out injured now but he’ll come back.

"We used to go to Clann na nGael’s football pitch to