The Knocknaheeny native fired home a late, late winner on Halloween in the frightening Albanian rain to secure Ireland’s promotion to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League with what was virtually her last kick in a meaningful fixture.

So, what has the Cork woman been up to these past few weeks?

“I am still training mad, training mad still,” admits the 29-year-old, who is eager to remain sharp ahead of Ireland’s games against Hungary in Tallaght on Friday before they make the short trip to Belfast to face Northern Ireland next Tuesday.

“I mean after our last camp, our season was done then but thought it was massively important to keep training and come into this camp, fit and ready to go again, so I have been doing that since the last camp.

“And I definitely feel a lot more refreshed coming into this camp. Some of the girls actually stayed in North Carolina, the US obviously have camps, but the girls who stayed, I was able to train with them.

“The Courage coaches put on training sessions, where we can get together, so we have done that. And I have trained myself most of the time too, just running and doing fitness work.

“It is different. Training with a team is the best training you can get, and I haven’t been able to do that, but I try to replicate that by myself, and I am following a very strict training plan, so I still think I will be as fit as last camp and probably a bit more refreshed, I would say.

“It is nice to come in and not have so many games under your belt and feeling fresh.”

O’Sullivan, who will share her Christmas break between Cork and North Carolina, is focusing on the positives, but she would, of course, have preferred to have played a few more games before reporting for Ireland duty.

North Carolina’s aforementioned defeat to Gotham saw them crash out at the quarter-finals stage of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs and it was their opponents that would go on to land the silverware.

But again, the playmaker prefers to focus on the plus points from the campaign in which they won the Challenge Cup and finished third in the league during what was her first year as captain of the Courage.

“We had a lot of changes within the team this year and obviously becoming captain was a big change for me, but it was something that I really relished, and it was great,” she added.

“I have never been an outspoken person, even before getting the captaincy and I think it is massively important not to change who you are as captain.

“On the pitch, I go by my performances and how much work I put in and be an example to other players. The same off the pitch, I am someone who makes sure things are going smooth and I take down any egos that are there, I think that is massively important that you don’t have any egos in the squad because that can cause a big rift. And that was my job this year.

“Before I became captain, you still had a role and a responsibility to do your job, but you have nothing else outside of that.

“You don’t have any role off the pitch but now I have massive responsibility. I find myself way more focused and probably changed a little bit as a person, more serious.

“Changed for the better, more focused and have a lot more on my mind that I need to deal with. But it is not a burden to me, it is something that I relish and pushes me on to even be better in the team.”

That steely focus can certainly be seen in the work she has been doing during what should be her downtime.

O’Sullivan will continue to be a leader for Ireland on the pitch and she is hopeful whoever replaces Vera Pauw as Ireland manager will possess a similar attribute.

“I think it is massively important to have a leader, someone you look up to and who brings your attention, draws you in,” she admits.

“Outside of that, someone who brings a positive environment. I think once you create a good environment within the national team and gain the respect of everyone, I think the team will push on.

“So, I think that is massively important as well. Whoever comes in and whoever takes over, we’ll respect it, respect the decision. Our job is to go out and perform on the pitch.”