Ciara Mary Grant was born in Waterford on the 17th of May 1978. A talented midfielder, she began her playing career with local side Benfica before representing St Patrick’s Athletic Ladies.

But it was in England where she truly made her name as she joined Arsenal in 1998 and before leaving for Reading - where she would end her playing career after one season - in 2014, she had amassed a stunning haul of 9 Premier League titles, 7 FA Cups, 6 League Cups, and 1 UEFA Cup, which also included a treble and quadruple.

Grant is the Republic of Ireland’s third most capped women's footballer, just behind Emma Byrne (134), and Áine O’Gorman (111), although Niamh Fahey looks certain to overtake her also.

She was the captain of the Senior Women's Team for seven years and she had previously held the record for caps at 105, scoring 11 goals in the process during a 17-year period.

Grant made her debut as teenager in a 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands and she won her 100th cap in Ireland's 2–1 defeat to Scotland at Tynecastle Stadium in April 2012.

Her last appearance in an Ireland jersey was the 2-0 win away to Israel in a Euro 2013 qualifier later that year in September.