It’s just over a month since Ellen Molloy downplayed her chances of a recall to the Republic of Ireland squad when she chatted with this paper, despite her sparkling form for Wexford since she rejoined them in January. “I’ve a lot do before I’m even in the conversation,” she said.
Well, she’s in the conversation now after Carla Ward called up the 21-year-old midfielder for the first time since she succeeded Eileen Gleeson as manager for this week’s friendlies against the United States in Denver and Cincinnati.
The Kilkenny native has, then, a chance to add to the seven caps she’s won so far, the first given to her by Vera Pauw when she was just 16, the last when Gleeson brought on her as a late substitute against Georgia in October’s Euro 2025 playoffs.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting this,” she says. “I was just focusing on club. But I was absolutely delighted when I got the call from Carla. I’m really looking forward to the next two weeks, it’s a good opportunity.”
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It’s a welcome boon for Molloy, who’s been through the mill the last few years, starting with the anterior cruciate ligament injury she suffered in September of 2022. Then there was what proved to a short-lived move to Sheffield United last September, her first taste of professional football.
But while there, her grandmother’s illness and subsequent death had a deep impact on her, Molloy admitting she lost her love for football during that time. After four months, she returned home and re-signed for Wexford.
Has she got the love back?
“Yeah, in the last few months I’ve started to really enjoy football again and I think you can see that in the way I’ve been playing. I just stripped it all back, took the pressure off and went back to my roots. We’ve such a family atmosphere at Wexford and Seán Byrne coming in has been really good for the team and myself as well. I’m feeling like I’m back to myself.”
She hasn’t ruled out moving away again, although for now she’s focused on playing part-time and completing her PE and geography degree in the University of Limerick. But she acknowledges that her chances of staying in Ward’s plans could depend on her returning to professional football.
“I know I need to be playing at a higher standard, obviously there is a huge step up from the League of Ireland to international football, and there’s no question there is a difference in the standard between here and in England. We’re a few years behind – but it definitely is going in the right direction. But, right now, I’m not really focusing on that too much, I’m just focusing on the next few weeks and I’ll see how it goes.”
Ward addressed the same issue when she was asked about Molloy on Sunday. “I think I’ve been pretty clear, the League of Ireland is an evolving league, but it’s still got a long way to go. It’s a part-time league. So let’s not be too naive, international football is a massive step up. Ellen has done tremendously well, she’s been involved before, so this is about us having a look at how she can cope in an international environment.
“I never really want to get involved in what league the players play. That’s a decision that only Ellen can make. But of course, you want players playing full-time. That’s a reality. The sooner we can get the League of Ireland full-time, the better for the future of the game.”
But much as Molloy initially enjoyed being a full-time player in Sheffield, she ended up finding it a challenge. “You train, you’re home at 1 and that was your day nearly done. It’s not like you can go to the gym then because you’ve got all that done too. There probably should be more awareness about that side of it, it’s not spoken about enough. I suppose different things work for different people. I like to be busy, it’s just about finding that balance and what works for me.”
“This camp with Ireland is like a condensed version of professional football, so I’m just looking forward to getting back in to that, working under Carla, and seeing how I feel in that environment again.”
