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The Irish Sun

I'm ex-Ireland star who returned from childbirth and scored iconic goal vs France – now I'm making career in new sport

JULIE-ANN RUSSELL has gone from firing Ireland to three points on the football pitch, to shooting three-pointers on the basketball court. The 34-year-old Advertisement 4 Julie-Ann Russell retired from football back in January Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 4 She scored seven goals in 66 caps for the Republic of Ireland Credit: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile 4 She also played a starring role for Galway Utd Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 4 She is now playing basketball for Moycullen Credit: John O'Brien It also brought to an end her run with Galway United, with whom the Moycullen-native won the All-Island Cup in 2024. But Russell has not turned her back on sport altogether, and represented her hometown basketball club in the Galway Cup. The former striker explained to SunSport: "I actually was playing last year as well. "In Moycullen, they have a St. Stephen's Day Blitz which has been running for years and years. Advertisement Read More on Ireland WNT "It was the second year that they had a women 's Blitz and they'd asked me to play in it. I did at the time and absolutely loved it. "They were kind of like, 'will you play on our team for January to March?' It was the second-half of the season. "I was in pre-season with Galway at the time and I said, 'yeah I'll go whenever I can make it'. "I played last season for a couple of months and then I didn't play at the start of the season just there because I was in with Ireland . Advertisement Most read in Football "Once I finished up with Ireland I went back again in January, back playing with them." The Moycullen point-guard played basketball in her youth and in secondary school . Ireland hero Julie-Ann Russell's daughter Rosie takes RTE microphone during post-match interview She had to prioritise soccer over gaelic football and basketball when she turned 18. But Russell has not missed a beat since going back to the court , and showed her talents by putting Moycullen 8-0 up in their Galway Cup final defeat to Claregalway last month. Advertisement Although she admitted: "I only turned up to meet folks I hadn't seen in ages and it's a really good day out. "I didn't think I'd be able to shoot the ball because it's been so long but I ended up getting Player of the Tournament that year. "They were hounding me to play on the team for the rest of the season so I said I would." EURO TRIP Russell had mapped out her ideal retirement roadmap that did not end back in January. Advertisement The mum-of-one made a sensational return to the Girls in Green last summer after four years away. That break was initially enforced due to being in Australia when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020. But following her 2021 return to Galway, she remained out of 's plans. She was watching on with her newborn daughter Rosie when Advertisement It was a storybook return, as She scored her third international goal of the year in the 3-0 win over qualifiers as Ireland got to the play-offs. But the two-legged play-off loss to Wales was the end of the journey, both for Ireland and Russell. "It was definitely the best year of my life so far anyway." She said: "I probably started thinking about it if we didn't qualify for the Euros , so depending on how the match against Wales went was kind of the breaking point for me. Advertisement "If we'd won that game, I would have kept playing and tried to make the squad for the Euros this summer. "Unfortunately we lost the game, so I made the decision then and then I just kind of sat on it for about a month or so, just to kind of make sure I was making the right decision. "When the final whistle went, it was obviously devastating to lose but then, in my head, I was kind of like this is it for me. "It made it even that more painful than what it was." Advertisement 'AMAZING HUMAN' When Carla Ward replaced Eileen Gleeson after the play-off, there were attempts to keep Russell in the fold. The former She added: "When I spoke to Carla, she was kind of shocked, I think, a little bit at the decision. "She seemed like an amazing human to start with and so welcoming and was so looking forward to meeting Rosie and having her daughter meet her as well. Advertisement "I think it would have been a joy to work under her as well. "Unfortunately that didn't come to fruition but it's great to see her doing well now in the last couple of games." Bidding farewell was made easier by the memories made. The win over France - and her Player of the Match role in it - stands out for poignant reasons. Advertisement While her daughter was not at Carrow Road to see Russell score against the Lionesses, And the 34-year-old said: "My friends and family all there and Rosie witnessing me playing for Ireland, "She won't have a clue. She'll just look back when she's older. "It would have been amazing if she wasn't there, but I think the fact that she was born, and coming back from post-pregnancy, and getting back into top level sport again, and having her there was 10 times better. Advertisement "It was definitely the best year of my life so far anyway." BACK OF THE NET Basketball is one of a number of ways Russell has occupied herself since hanging up the boots . The ex-Peamount United star still works for And she also ran the Barcelona marathon in March, clocking a time of three hours and 25 minutes. Advertisement And she has tentative plans to return to the basketball court when the season gets underway in October. "I'm not going to make commitments right now and say I'm fully signed up. I'm just seeing how things go and how I'm feeling and how my body is feeling and what not. I "I've loved playing the last two seasons at Moycullen. It's brilliant. If I'm feeling good and strong, no doubt I'll be back playing with Moycullen again."