Mr Kilcoyne (36) retired in May after a 15-year playing career that included 56 Ireland caps and 220 Munster caps. He attended UL's autumn graduation with nearly 4,000 students and donned the cap and gown for the third time. He completed a diploma fully online, inspired to pursue the qualification before the 2023 World Cup. He previously earned a Bachelor of Business Studies in 2012 and an MSc in Business Project Management in 2019. Early career focus was solely on rugby, with his mother requiring college completion to join the Munster Academy. Late-career successes included a Six Nations Grand Slam and a Munster URC victory. He emphasized preparing for life after sport and credited patient lecturers across three sittings.
I was just dead-set on playing for Munster and Ireland - that was my goal,
I had no interest in college at the start, but my mother wouldn't let me do the [Munster] Academy unless I finished college. So, it was more about getting through it.
I went on to play a good few years with Munster and Ireland, and you start to mature a bit and realise that there is a life after sport.
Sport doesn't last forever, so you've got to be thinking of what you're going to be doing after. No one has it fully figured out, especially when you're that deep into the sport; but if you can take a bit of time and think of what your life would look like after, and guide yourself to something you think you might be interested in, you'll dedicate the time to it.
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