Liam Dineen - the Cork teenager aiming to be Ireland's next NFL star

The village of Innishannon in Cork has a population of just over one thousand people, but one of those thousand could potentially become a star in the United States over the next few years.

Liam Dineen signed with the NFL Academy program in the United Kingdom in recent weeks. He is the second Irish kicker to sign to the Academy, after Andy Quinn last year.

The questions Irish people often ask when they hear about another athlete giving American football a go are 'Why?' and 'How?'.

Speaking exclusively to RTÉ Sport, Dineen, who recently turned 18, explains his love of sport.

"I kind of grew up playing everything you can think of", he says. "I played a bit of rugby, played a bit of soccer for Innishvilla, but primarily I played GAA and Gaelic football, which was my main sport for Valley Rovers down in West Cork, in Innishannon."

Dineen follows many other Gaelic footballers who have attempted to swap their native sport for the American dream, such as Galway man Quinn, Ross Bolger, Rory Beggan, Mark Jackson, Paddy McAteer and Jack Scullion.

The performances of Bolger, McAteer and Scullion have been noteworthy in the opening weeks of the 2024 College football season, with each player excelling in their positions.

Other players entered the NFL Combine in February, Mayobridge man Charlie Smyth signing a contract after a try-out with the New Orleans Saints. He is currently on the Saints' practice squad.

"Like Charlie, Ross and the other lads, Gaelic football was my one true sport", Dineen said. "I feel that the sport was my gateway into American football, playing primarily as a goalkeeper."

Dineen found a Leader Kicking clinic, run by former rugby out-half Tadhg Leader, and went from there.

"It was my gateway, like all the other lads", he