We Made It, Kid: Living life in full colour

by O'BRIEN JACKIE MCCARTHY

'Compelling, heartfelt and inspiring. I found this book so real. so honest. It has taught me about drive, ambition, persistence and love. And what it means to be really Irish! A triumphant story of achievement in a world made for men!' - Katriona O'Sullivan, author of Poor

Jackie McCarthy O'Brien has led a truly remarkable life, from being born in 1961 to an Irish mother and Jamaican father (whom she never met) in Birmingham to growing up in Limerick. She was put in an industrial school as a baby by a priest for being an "illegitimate" black child and not recovered by her mother until she was five.

As a teen she excelled at sport and played for Ireland in soccer, but when she was sexually harassed by a coach she changed to Irish rugby team. She got married at 21 before accepting her sexual feelings for women, and leaving the marriage with her three young children.
Always a hilarious raconteur, this memoir tells her extraordinary story up until becoming a TikTok star and LGBTQ+ icon in her sixties.

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2025

Reviews

[Sean Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story to read about an amazing woman

[Eimear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, inspiring read and a page turner, really enjoyed

[Elaine Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true story of bravery resilience and of honesty
Jackie is a limerick legend and tells an incredible emotional and personal journey of her life