Megan Connolly is a Cork girl. And she's proud to shout about it.

Well, you are rarely going to hear the soft-spoken 27-year-old breaking decibel meters - except when in match action - but her passion for her home is something that gets her blood pumping like a white-water rapid.

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Having grown up in Turner's Cross - close to the Munster FA-run stadium of the same name where Cork City play - she was always aware of the impact of football. There was always a ball in the back garden, a game on the TV and a call from her father to get involved.

The influence of her parents is clear to see in Connolly. She is polite, respectful, hard-working, intelligent and sports-mad. She has her parents' genes and has followed their lead - quite literally when it came to football as her father basically set up a girls team at College Corinthians so she had somewhere to play.

When she was attending Christ King School, the teachers knew that she had an acute sense of awareness and a knack of problem-solving. Perfect tools for a centre midfielder. She has used those to her advantage to forge a career that has already included some incredible experiences.

A scholarship brought her to Florida State University where she picked up a BA in Social Sciences and lifted silverware in the NCAA Division 1 and the ACC women's soccer tournament. Fours years in the United States helped her to mature into someone who was ready to take on the world.

In 2019, Connolly signed her first professional contract by linking up with Brighton & Hove Albion in England. It was a big step forward but one that did not faze her at all. In fact she relished the challenge of testing herself in, arguably, the best league in women's football.

By that stage, she had already excelled for Ireland on the international stage. After impressing at Under-17 level, she graduated to the WU19s and was part of the squad in 2014 that reached the UEFA European Championship semi-finals in Norway. She wasn't just part of it though, she was a key player - illustrated by her stunning free-kick that helped the Girls in Green beat Sweden.

Two years later, she made her senior debut away to the USA and has since amassed over 50 caps on a journey that has taken her to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, around the world and back home to Cork for the first ever international football game to be played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

It is no coincidence that all paths lead Connolly home. As soon as her season finished with Bristol City - who she joined from Brighton in 2023 - she packed her bags and entered 'CORK' into her sat nav. Not that she needed any help to find her way back home.

It was during that period in the off-season that she was able to visit the match venue for a photoshoot and get a feel for the place. She will hope that that familiarity will help as France come hunting for three points and Ireland eye a first home win of this EURO 2025 qualifying campaign.

Connolly isn't the only Corkonian in the WNT squad as her close friend Denise O'Sullivan recently returned from injury, while Cork City Eva Mangan is also involved and Lily Agg has Cork connections through her Cobh-born grandmother. Also, Assistant Coach Colin Healy is a local legend in these parts.

The Cork factor could be significant for Ireland with a large crowd expected to be in attendance. For Connolly, that rebel spirit is something that has always been a driving force in her career and her life in general.

She's back home and she will be determined to make the most of it.