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Photo courtesy of BBC News.

Athletes from Team Ireland are set to receive a hero’s welcome upon their return home from the Paris Olympics on Monday, following their historic success at the games. This will mark the first time the Irish Olympic Team receives a civic reception on their return home, celebrating their remarkable achievement of winning seven medals at Paris 2024 – four gold and three bronze, with four of those medals taken by athletes from Northern Ireland.

 The Irish team’s outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics has made it Ireland’s most successful Olympics team, coincidentally, 100 years after it first took part in the Olympics. The athletes, upon arriving at Dublin Airport, will be greeted with a celebratory reception and will then be honoured at a public event on O’Connell Street in the centre of Dublin.

 Notable among the athletes is swimmer Daniel Wiffen from Magheralin in County Down, Northern Ireland, who made history by becoming the first Northern Ireland athlete to win an individual gold medal since 1972. Wiffen clinched gold in the 800m freestyle and also secured a bronze in the 1500m freestyle with a record-breaking performance, solidifying his place in history and bringing pride to his community.

 Another magnificent achievement came from gymnast Rhys McClenaghan, 25, from Newtownards in County Down, who completed the gymnastics ‘Grand Slam’ by winning gold on the pommel horse apparatus, making him the victor in the World, European, Commonwealth and Olympic tournaments. McClenaghan expressed his disbelief and joy, stating, “It still feels like a dream. But it’s a lifetime of work culminating into one little moment, and this little moment is what you are seeing right now,” reflecting the magnitude of his accomplishment.

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 Additionally, Philip Doyle, 31, from Lisburn, won an Olympic bronze medal alongside Daire Lynch in the men’s pair, dedicating his success to his late father, Eamonn, and acknowledging the exceptional achievements of Northern Irish athletes during the 2024 Olympics. The triumphant boxers Kellie Harrington, Fintan McCarthy, and Paul O’Donovan, as well as Mona McSharry, who secured a bronze in the women’s 100m breaststroke, contributed to Ireland’s impressive medal tally.

 The civic reception for Team Ireland, planned in collaboration with Dublin City Council, is scheduled to take place in front of the General Post Office (GPO) on O’Connell Street in Dublin city centre, with the Lord Mayor of Dublin, James Geoghegan, expressing the city’s pride in the athletes’ accomplishments. Team Ireland chef de mission Gavin Noble also praised the athletes, stating, “Over the past few weeks our athletes have performed outstandingly, and have inspired the nation with their endeavours at the Olympic Games in Paris.”

 Indeed, the success of Team Ireland at the Paris Olympics has captured the hearts and inspired the aspirations of people across the country, and the hero’s welcome awaiting the athletes is a testament to the pride and admiration they have garnered through their extraordinary achievements. Full report by News.