Dave Kearney OC’07

Dave Kearney, a product of the highly regarded Leinster academy, came through the rigorous selection process and made his debut for Leinster in 2009 having starred for the Ireland U20s that season. With the family having a strong history in Irish sport Dave credits an early Gaelic football career with Cooley Kickhams in Louth as contributing factor for his undoubted skill set within rugby. He went on to establish himself as a pivotal member of the Leinster squad and has gone on to make over 100 caps for his native province. Fearless under the high ball and the finishers instinct, Dave was first called into the Ireland squad in 2013, making his debut v Samoa and scored 2 tries. His decision making under pressure saw him bypass alot of Irish wings and he quickly became a permanent fixture at both club and country. Highly regarded by Joe Schmidt, he was an ever present in the 2014 Six nations Championship winning team, playing every minute alongside his brother Rob and Jamie Heaslip. He was also member of the Ireland World Cup squad in 2015.His consistency and ability to play anywhere across the back three, has been a key attribute to his success as a rugby player as well as his unselfish team first attitude. He has scored over 25 tries for Leinster and 4 for Ireland in a 17 cap career to date with his last cap coming in November 2017 v Fiji. With success breeding success breeding success he has won the Pro 14 on 3 occasions as well as the Heineken Cup and Six Nations Championship, where he had made a significant impact with his consistent fielding and ability to read defences and capitalise on any errors with his attacking acumen. A diligent and disciplined trainer and popular squad member, Dave has a lot to offer both on and off the pitch and has also concluded a degree in Sponsorship and Brand Management.