Interview: Jessica Hennessy

“Naturally, I did feel guilty about leaving. But I have to say Rovers were so professional about the whole thing, and they were so good to me over the last two years. I can't thank them enough for everything they've done because I wouldn't be half the player I am on the pitch—and off the pitch—if it wasn't for them.”

“Did you hear the story of how it happened?” 

It’s Friday evening, early December, and Storm Darragh is about to make landfall over Ireland.

Across the water, former Shamrock Rovers centre half, Jessica Hennessy, has paused her Christmas shopping in the bustling city of Birmingham to pick up the Rovers fanzine’s call.

Like the scheduling of our interview itself, I’m about to learn that the twenty-three-year-old’s transfer to Nottingham Forest in September of this year was a last-minute deal.

Opportunity knocks

“So on the Thursday (before I left), my agent rang and just said, ‘Look, there's a chance Nottingham wants to sign you,” Hennessy recounts, seeking refuge from the noisy shopping centre. “I was like, oh okay, that's great! My season is over in five games time—five weeks or something like that. And he was like, Oh no, the deadline is actually tomorrow.’”

What ensued was a frenetic back and forth between Hennessy’s agent, Dale Bennett; Director of Women’s Football at Shamrock Rovers, Jason Carey; and club CEO, John Martin.

“I didn't think it would go through just because of the short notice,” She says. “I went into work on Friday morning at KC Sports in Mullingar, and then my agent rang and said, ‘Look, Jessica, this is going to go through. You have to get to the airport.’"

Despite knowing how this story ends, I’m hanging onto Jessica's every word, seeing the airport queue in my mind's eye and the panicked bargaining at the check-in desk as boarding gates close. 

“That was at about ten, and I was on a flight to England with my dad at half two that afternoon, trying to beat the deadline. Thankfully I did. But I also would have loved to have known Bohs was my last game because I never really got to say goodbye to the girls.”

Hennessy's transfer to the FA Women’s National League North transpired amidst Rovers' battle to secure a spot in the top half of the league table at the tail end of what had been a difficult season.

Her departure was, without a doubt, a significant blow to The Hoops backline.

Yet the centre-half can only enthuse about the support that she received from the Rovers HQ when the opportunity to turn professional knocked.

“Collie (O’Neill—head coach) was the first one to ring me, and he was just saying to me, like, ‘It's a great opportunity. I would never step in your way to not let you sign.’ So once I had Collie's approval, Ciaran Ryan's approval, and all of the club's approval, I felt better about doing it.

“The girls sent me lovely messages telling me to go and smash it,” she adds. “Naturally I did feel guilty about leaving. But I have to say Rovers were so professional about the whole thing, and they were so good to me for the last two years. I can't thank them enough for everything they've done because I wouldn't be half the player I am on and off the pitch if it wasn't for them.”

With the full blessing of both her former teammates and the club, the Hoops fan favourite was now within a hair's breadth of realising her childhood dream. 

It was then, in midair, that the prospect of becoming a professional footballer (and the change that this would invariably bring) dawned on the Westmeath native.

“It was frightening,” says Hennessy. “I was asking my dad and my mom, 'Is this the right thing? Am I doing it too fast? And they were just like, no.

“In the back of my head I knew I had been prepping for this for so long. I knew Rovers were always going to be there for me if it didn't work out—Collie said that, you know, ‘we would welcome you back with open arms.’ And I did appreciate that. So that's why I just said, Look, I'm going to take a chance, and if it doesn't work out, I can always come home. I'll regret it if I don't."

2024 campaign

The Rovers 2023 Players Player of the Year switch from green and white to Garibaldi Red came off the back of a difficult six months for The Hoops—a season in which their first league win did not materialise until June.

“Mentally, it was a tough season.” she surmises. “Last year we maybe over-exceeded (expectations), and this year we under-exceeded. But I think that sometimes you need to have those seasons to really look at yourself as players.

"Obviously, we didn't win the games that we wanted to win, and we didn't get into the cup final like we wanted to. But for how the season went for us, we still didn't do too badly. We got into a final…and I think as a group, we definitely got stronger.”

Anyone familiar with the game will know that the nature of the centre back role means that the player entrusted is more often than not the soldier that stands between the opposition's attacker and their own goalkeeper in the final third.

When a team concedes and loses football matches, the spotlight invariably turns to those at the heart of the defence. 

By virtue, the role is not for the faint-hearted, but like the brandy, Hennessy is made of strong stuff.

“I think there is a lot of pressure on a centre half, especially when you're playing out from the back,” she agrees. “The Cork (City) game, I made two bad mistakes, and it led to two goals. I was playing good passes, but once you make two mistakes, then your day's over really. I was subbed off. But I was very lucky to have Shauna Fox, a brilliant centre half, beside me. She was probably a better ball player, whereas I was more dogged.”

While Jess herself may be quick to recall her frankly sparse number of mistakes, Hoops fans will not forget the peppering of crucial interceptions that the former midfielder executed across her two seasons in Dublin 24—neat challenges that ultimately caught the eye of those on Trentside. 

Nor will they forget Hennessy’s formidable partnership with Maria Reynolds—a player whom the Red agrees has stepped up in her absence.

“Maria and I had the same mindset and the same calmness when we played,” she says. “I know that if I encouraged Maria, if I'd done something well, she'd encourage me. That's how I like to play, and those are the players I like to play with because it boosts everyone's confidence.

“When I left, Maria really took my position and made it her own. She was absolutely brilliant. Yes, I was still watching the Rovers games! I couldn't help myself—it was still my team at the end of the day!"

Settling in The East Midlands

Hennessy’s move to the banks of the River Trent coincides with a period of promise for women's football at Forest.

As part of an ambitious vision for the club as a whole, owner Evangelos Marinakis has declared his commitment to the establishment of a fully professional women's side from the start of the 2025/26 season.

With the men's senior team competing in their third season of the Barclays Premier League, top-tier infrastructure, facilities, and coaching staff are firmly entrenched for both the men's and women's squads.

An intimidating and uncharted environment for the majority of players coming from the underfunded Women's League of Ireland.

For former Shamrock Rovers defender Jess Hennessy?

A little. But not so much.

“I was lucky to have had the chance to experience a semi-professional setup at Rovers before turning fully professional,” she reflects. “It meant that the transition to Forest wasn’t as much of a massive step. The Rovers environment set us up for other clubs down the line. For me, that made all the difference.”

As part of their strategy to grow the product of women's football at Forest (one that foresees Carly Davies's side gaining swift promotion from the third tier to The Championship and the Women’s Super League), the club announced at the start of the 2024/25 campaign that ten of Forest Women's league games would be played in the same 30,445 seater venue as the men's.

For Hennessy, entering the historic City Ground is a moment she will never forget.

“When they brought me into the stadium, it was a pinch-myself moment,” she says, beaming through the speaker. “Like, my breath actually went. I thought Tallaght was big! The stadium is unbelievable. I remember when I stepped into Tallaght for the first time, I was like, Oh my God, I can't believe I'm playing at Tallaght. So now I'm just like, Oh my God, I can't believe I'm playing at the City Grounds! I could actually just relive that moment for the rest of my life.”

Patience is a virtue

A regular starter for The Hoops, Hennessy has needed to master the skill of patience underneath forewoman Davies—“Her“footballing brain is just unbelievable,” she chimes.

Since making her debut on September 29th, the number 6 has secured just two 90-minute starts for Forest alongside minutes across the league and cup.

A challenge that Hennessy anticipated or a source of frustration?

“I knew it was going to be tough,” she tells us. “Training is just on a different level, and it took me a while to get used to playing with new players. Carly and the lads kind of just said that they're building me in slowly because I just needed to settle. That's what I've done, thankfully. I'm training well now, so hopefully things start to change. 

“But I'm in no rush either. Like Mollie Green and Kate Longhurst, they're two massive names in the centre half position, so while I might not be getting minutes, I'm learning so much from them. I'm just delighted to be on this journey and this path.”

A home from home

Starts tell merely one side of the story. 

From the outside looking in, it's clear to see that Nottingham are doing their utmost to ensure that both Hennessy and former Athlone Town striker Casey Howe feel valued and at home—their latest gesture a signed shirt competition for the fans.

“I thought that was really nice,” says Hennessy. “Forest has been so good. When I got here, Reece (Stevenson - Forest's Women’s Safeguarding & Player Care Officer) got me my apartment and sorted everything out for me so I wasn't stressed or anything. Amber (Wildgust - Women and Girls Manager) as well; she was so good to me. Carly (Davies - Head Coach) said I could go home for a visit anytime if I needed to.

“My dad travels over too every Sunday to watch every game, and my mom comes over every two or three weeks to see me. My sister Niamh has moved over too now and is working here. I do really appreciate all the support from my family and Forest; like, it makes it a lot easier.”

As our conversation draws to a close, a tannoy announcement drowns out Jessica's voice.

Rather than seeing it as an unwelcome interruption, it sparks another question—that of a senior international call-up.

“Since I was a little girl, I've always dreamed of playing for Ireland,” says Hennessy. “I got no caps when I was underage—I had a few trials, but I didn't get any caps, so I think that's made me even hungrier to get a senior cap now. But my main priority is just settling down, getting minutes at Forest, and hopefully I'll get a cap. If it's in ten years time or two years, I'll just be happy to be involved. But I'm just enjoying my football. If it happens, brilliant. If it doesn't, it is what it is—everything happens for a reason.”

It sure does, Jess.

Christine Allen