Kearney nominated for Six Nations Player of the Championship

Rob Kearney with Today FM’s Ray D’Arcy on his visit to the station this morning

Ireland full back Rob Kearney is one of 16 players who have been shortlisted for the RBS Six Nations Player of the Championship.

Players were shortlisted based on a points system from each of the games this year. You can vote for your favourite here before voting closes at midnight on Wednesday March 19^th.

As wekk as the Willville man, others shortlisted include Brian O’Driscoll, Jamie Heaslip, Cian Healy and Johnny Sexton.

The winner will be announced on Friday.

Meanwhile, Kearney will be back in Cooley tomorrow when he will be visiting his Willville home and maybe a few local business premises.

In an interview with Today FM this morning, the former Cooley Kickhams man was also asked would he line out for Louth for the rest of their National League campaign.

His response was: “Maybe not this year but I miss Gaelic hugely.”

Thousands turn out to meet the Leinster team in Dundalk

A section of the crowd that turned up to see Leinster train

An estimated 3,000 people turned out at the Mill Road this morning to see the Leinster team in their open training session in Dundalk.

Fans, both young and old, lined the ground as the likes of Brian O’Driscoll, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip and Ian Madigan were put through their paces.

Also in attendance were local heroes David and Rob Kearney, who of course hail from nearby Willville in Carlingford. They were the main focus for many and got a little closer to home later that day when the team went on to the Ballymascanlon Hotel for some refreshments.

David and Rob Kearney are interviewed by LMFM’s Pat O’Shaughnessy

Some of the Leinster players after training in the Ballymascanlon House Hotel

Kearney included in Lions squad

Rob Kearney scores a try for the British & Irish Lions against South Africa in Pretoria in 2009

Rob Kearney will represent the British and Irish Lions for a second time after being included in coach Warren Gatland’s 37-man squad for the trip to Australia this summer.

The Leinster and Ireland full back, who hails from Willville in Carlingford, is one of nine Irish players set to make the trip along with Cian Healy, Paul O’Connell, Sean O’Brien, Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton, Brian O’Driscoll and Tommy Bowe.

Kearney previously represented the lines in 2009 in South Africa, starting twice, and scoring a try in the second test in Pretoria.