The 19-times capped Louth native informed the Irish Unbiased the time was proper to complete up and return dwelling to Eire after an satisfying yr within the Windy Metropolis.
Kearney completed up with Leinster final season having performed 186 instances for his dwelling province and is fifth on their all-time try-scorers’ checklist.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t all plain crusing for Kearney who reveals he was the topic of abuse within the wake of Eire’s 2015 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina, whereas he needed to battle again from severe accidents halfway by his profession.
“Again within the day social media was not like it’s now, nevertheless it was nonetheless fairly vicious when it needed to be,” he mentioned.
“You’d be moving into after video games and placing your identify into Twitter, Fb . . . most gamers did it, to be truthful. After that Argentina recreation, I clearly took loads of shit. I obtained some horrific stuff mentioned about me on-line, and I do not forget that’s the one time it correctly shook me a bit.
“I bear in mind simply considering after that recreation, I might exit and rating six tries, or I might exit and have a shocker. I don’t care. I’m by no means looking for my identify on Twitter once more or Fb, wherever it’s.
“Each participant goes by some kind of adversity throughout their profession and I’d a interval there round 2016, ’17, ’18 once I couldn’t actually catch a lot of a break.
“They [Leinster] didn’t actually need to hold me on the next yr, however all I actually wanted was my alternative. I performed effectively [against Toulouse] and began in Europe the following couple of weeks. Then the coaches began to have a bit extra religion in me.
“All of it modified from there. That second would have caught out for me additionally as, you realize, coming off the again of a low and attending to play rugby at a excessive degree once more and feeling assured in your self once more, which was cool.”
Enjoying for Eire alongside his brother Rob was Kearney’s profession spotlight, however he says the time is now proper to hold up the boots.
“I’ve had an excellent innings and I’ve had a very long time taking part in. One thing tells you the time is true. I’ve been feeling that for some time,” he mentioned.
Learn the complete interview within the Irish Unbiased and on-line tomorrow
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