Not everyone can be a star, so how come so many people from Moyross are famous?
Moyross may be a relatively small community, but the people who live here have a way of finding fame. Keith Earls and the Corpus Christi National School Choir are just two examples.
The people there are talented, obviously, but they strive harder here than elsewhere to succeed, too. They feel they have to. They feel they need to excel to beat the stereotypes about people from Moyross. For years, people from Moyross lost out on jobs and more just because of their address. They needed to stand out as someone above average in society at large.
Success on stage and in sport, however, can lead to a career path. It certainly beats a life in crime or struggling on the margins.
I spoke to three young men from Moyross who value the role sports plays in their community. One of them has played for Ireland. No, not Keith Earls – Cian Power.
Living the dream
Cian is a 17-year-old soccer player with Limerick city’s Pike Rovers, and he hopes to make it professionally across the water. He has already represented the Republic of Ireland at under-18 level and has been capped seven times with the national side.
“It was always a dream of mine to play for my country,” he said. In five years’ time, he said, he sees himself “hopefully playing professional football somewhere – that’s my dream”.
Although he’s from Pineview Gardens, Moyross – on the Clare side of the city – Cian crossed the Shannon to play with Pike Rovers because, at the time, Moyross did not have a team in his age group that he could play for. He’s been playing with Pike ever since.
Cian said, “I really enjoy it up there. They have a really nice set up and are great for developing young players”.
He said that growing up in Moyross “wasn’t so bad”: “There was some rough moments, but I kept my head down, stayed out of trouble and I kept working hard.”
He is grateful to family, coaches, team mates and friends for their support.
“Everyone has helped me. My aunt used to bring me up and down to training and games every week when I was a kid,” he said.
If, later in life, he had to choose another career, he said: “I would still try to be involved in some sort of sport. For example, as a gym instructor.”
Cian continues to train hard and has become a role model for younger kids.
Sports in the community
Luke Ward went to school with Cian and is a Moyross resident. He aims to become a soccer coach “and help kids in the community”.
“The boys like Cian and Keith Earls are giving the place a great name,” he said. “Everyone gives Moyross a bad name, but they work very hard to prove people wrong. I’ve lived here for 11 years and it’s a great place,” he said.
Moyross resident Jordan Guerin agreed that sports stars from the community “give the place a good name”. He felt that “there are a lot of opportunities for people in Moyross at the moment”. He hopes to open a business.
