Kuwarna Irish recruit Amy Boyle Carr’s family is no stranger to travelling long distances to watch her play sport.

During the Gaelic football season, her mother Caroline Carr and sister Eve Boyle Carr would travel up to six hours to see her in action, providing a familiar face and passionate support.

But last week, the pair took it to another level, embarking on a 47-hour journey from Ireland to Melbourne (via Turkiye and Kuala Lumpur) to watch the 23-year-old play Australian Rules Football for the first time.

They will once again be in the stands this Friday night, cheering as Kuwarna hosts North Melbourne.

Speaking to AFC Media, Carr said the experience of watching Amy play football in Australia was one she would cherish forever.

“Watching the games back in Ireland it’s been a bit hard to keep up with what’s going on out on the field, so to be able to watch her live and be fully immersed in the game, it’s been such a joy,” Carr said.

“Back in Ireland, both Eve and I would never miss a game (of Amy’s Gaelic football), we would sometimes travel five or six hours just to watch her.

“To have to watch those first few games of her AFLW career on TV, it was difficult for us, as the game is far more physical than Gaelic.

“We were itching to get the chance to come to Australia to see her play live, and getting that opportunity last week (against Collingwood) was an experience we will never forget.” 

For the Boyle-Carr family, watching Amy ply her trade on the other side of the world was never going to be easy.

But they drew comfort from fellow Irish footballer and former Kuwarna player Yvonne Bonner, who spoke of the Club’s strong culture.

“We have a great relationship with Yvonne that goes back years, she was the one that took Amy to County training for Donegal at the start of her career, because she was too young to drive,” Carr said. 

“It’s funny how life works, with Amy getting an opportunity at the same AFLW Club that Yvonne played for last year, so we talked to her a lot about what to expect.

“She (Yvonne) was glowing of the whole experience, the Club, the people, the city, everything, so that gave us great comfort that Amy was going to be in good hands.”

After watching Amy play in Melbourne, Karoline and Eve have spent the week in Adelaide, and got a first-hand experience of what her life is like down under.

Carr said it has been “amazing” to see her daughter in this environment and had gotten a greater appreciation for the hard work she put in.

“It is amazing to see where Amy lives and works, it puts it into perspective how hard she is working to make this opportunity count, and while we hear all about it on the phone, seeing it live gives you a whole new appreciation,” Carr said.

“Coming into the Club and seeing how professional the set-up is, it blew us away, and the people have been so welcoming and lovely.

“Watching Amy play professional sport, we could not be more proud of her. She has worked incredibly hard to get here, and missed out on a lot of things along the way, so for it to finally pay off is a wonderful feeling.” 

Kuwarna faces North Melbourne at Norwood Oval on Friday night at 7.15pm.

Get your tickets here.