An official homecoming, at Dublin Airport, for Ireland’s Paralympics team is set to take place on Monday. To date the Irish teams have bagged 15 medals at the London Games, seven gold, three silver and five bronze.
Minister of State for Sport Michael Ring will officially welcome the team back on behalf of the Government at the reception.
The team is then expected to make their entrance into the main arrivals hall of Terminal 1 at approximately 8.15pm to meet their family, friends, many supporters and well wishers.
Liam Harbison Irish team Chef de Mission said “By the time the team return they will have been away from home and their families; parents, husbands, wives, fiancés, partners, children, and in many cases their work for a full month, so whilst they are grateful for the offer of a homecoming event they would prefer to meet the public who have supported them at the airport on Monday evening, and further celebrate their achievements publicly in their local communities.”
Next Friday the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Sport Leo Varadkar will host a reception for the team at Farmleigh, in Phoenix Park. On Monday, 22nd September, another reception will be hosted by the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins at the Aras an Uachtarain.
On Friday the Irish teams added a gold and silver medal to their haul.
Mark Rohan won gold in the hand cycling road race, his second gold this week, while Catherine O’Neill won silver in the F51/52/53 discus.
Other homecoming celebration will be held in the athlete’s hometowns around the country.
Read more: Team Ireland’s day by day success at the Paralympics in London - the highlights
5 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.IrelandNorth | Sep 10, 2012, 08:59 AM EDT
johnnymac12! Probably because Dublin airport is the Island of Ireland's major airport, situated as it is in the Irish capitol, which many Ulster unionist/loyalist/Protestants have no difficulty using to travel further afield. And also, because they were representing Team Ireland in preference to Team GB, there being no Team NI. Loosen up man!
angrypaddy | Sep 09, 2012, 12:24 AM EDT
Ireland would have a homecoming for a "letter" Enda and James O Reilly will be there to wallow in their glory,then take their wheel chairs off them in the next budget
mamaginnty | Sep 08, 2012, 05:15 PM EDT
Ireland will always be the island of Ireland.
shuvonn | Sep 08, 2012, 10:40 AM EDT
Considering that anyone born in any one of the 32 counties of Ireland can choose freely who to represent, and the athletes who CHOSE to represent Ireland can be celebrated in Ireland. It is as simple as that :-)
johnnymac12 | Sep 08, 2012, 10:02 AM EDT
Why Dublin Airport when most of the medal winners come from a part of the U.K. called Northern Ireland.?????