Another new summer signing, Ciara Grant might be vaguely familiar to Edinburgh audiences… 

An 18-time Irish international born in Letterkenny, Grant began her senior career for Raheny United in the Women’s National League. She secured consecutive league and cup triumphs in both the LOI Women’s National League and FAI Women’s Cup during her time with the Pandas. 

Grant starred for UCD Waves and Sion Swifts either side of a break from football to complete her medical studies, often captaining her clubs and winning multiple more honours. The midfielder later signed for Shelbourne and helped them to lift the National League title in 2021.

The midfielder made the short hop across the Irish Sea to sign for Rangers in January 2022, becoming the first Irish international to sign for the Glasgow outfit since 1932 and helping the club to win their first SWPL title without losing a single game.

She then transferred to Hearts immediately following that title success and became a standout for our Edinburgh rivals, challenging Hibernian for a place in the top four of the SWPL as well as becoming a real nuisance in Edinburgh Derbies.

On the international front, Grant starred across multiple youth levels for the Republic of Ireland and was included in Ireland’s U17 squad that finished as runner-up in the 2010 UEFA U17 Women’s Championship. 

Grant carried her talents over to the senior squad in 2012 and played during Ireland’s record win, an 11-0 drubbing of Georgia in 2021. Grant was also part of the historic Republic of Ireland squad that travelled to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the first Irish squad to ever qualify for a major international tournament.

At the risk of running out of characters describing Grant’s long list of achievements in football, we will bring Grant’s biography to a close with the terrific fact that she is a Gaelic football champion, also - winning an Ulster GAA title with Donegal in 2018.