The Armagh GAA squad, who won the All-Ireland senior football final on Sunday, have received a rapturous welcome from fans at an event in County Louth.
They won the coveted Sam Maguire cup with a score of 1-11 against Galway’s 0-13.
Thousands of Gaelic football fans descended on Croke Park to watch one of the most talked about All-Ireland finals in decades.
About 82,300 fans attended the sold-out event, with demand for tickets far outstripping supply in Armagh.
PA
On Sunday night, the team arrived in a coach to a rapturous reception from fans at a hotel near Dundalk.
The party is set to continue on Monday with a huge homecoming planned to mark the county’s first All-Ireland title win in 22 years.
Earlier, Armagh fans were reluctant to leave Croke Park such was their elation.
“I’m scared to leave in case it was just a dream,” said one supporter.
An hour after the match ended, there were still thousands of fans mingling around Croke Park.
Many others, who were unable to get tickets, gathered in Gaelic clubs and hotels across the county to see their team bring home the cup.
One Armagh fan said the result was “brilliant”.
“There are no words. It is the best feeling in the world,” he said.
He gave his ticket to his son, but was happy to see the win “from the centre of Armagh”.
“They played their heart out. They played for their club. They played for their county. Unreal. All the way from start to finish,” he added.
Another supporter said the win was “unbelievable”.
“My father refereed the All-Ireland in 1979 between Kerry and Dublin,” she said.
“He’s at the game today and this means the world to him that he has seen this.
“Come on Armagh.”
One man said his baby might not remember today, but he would.
“I can’t believe it. It’s unbelievable,” he said.
“It’s brilliant. It was tight but Armagh was always going to do it,” he added.
“It’s class to see… Some team, some squad.”
Throngs of fans had gathered at Croke Park, hours ahead of the start of the much-anticipated final.
Outside the Dublin stadium was a sea of colour with supporters in the orange of Armagh or the maroon of Galway.
Taoiseach Simon Harris wished both teams well ahead of the big game.
Speaking outside Croke Park, he would not say which county he wanted to win.
“I’m supporting a good game,” Mr Harris said.
One family from south Armagh got a surprise on Saturday night when their son turned up unannounced from Canada with four tickets.
Peter Short, 27, works for a tech firm in Toronto.
He secured tickets from a GAA club in Canada.
His father Oliver could not believe it when he arrived home.
Peter said: “I wanted to surprise everybody. I certainly did!
“Now watch out for Armagh surprising Galway.”
Some fans without a much-sought-after ticket gathered at the Clann Éireann GAC in Lurgan to watch the game.
The club is home to three of the Armagh players.
Upstairs, there were balloons, face painting and a lot of orange.
While many of the fans were not able to attend the match in person, many made final preparations in Armagh, ahead of an adrenaline-fuelled game.
In Mullaghbawn, Chloe Marks and her brother Ogie created a unique way to show their support for the Orchard County.
They painted their grandmother’s piano in the team’s colours after receiving the musical instrument a few years ago.
Chloe hoped that it would bring the Sam Maguire Cup back to Armagh.
“We’ve a good use for it now. Hopefully it will bring us some luck”.
McKeever Sports in Crossmaglen opened a pop-up shop, dedicated to Armagh GAA.
Part-time employee and PE teacher Éilis McCreesh said the shop had been “unbelievably busy” in the build-up to the final.
The shop had daily deliveries to “get everybody sorted” ahead of the big game.
Family rivalry
In one household in Lurgan, County Armagh, inter-county rivalry was rife.
Lynsey Bannon is originally from Craigavon, but her partner Mickey McNally spent most of his childhood in Galway.
Although the couple have lived together in Lurgan for five years, Mickey could not bring himself to support Armagh.
The allegiance of their two-year-old daughter, Reayah, may be still up for debate however.
A family friend sent Reayah a personalised GAA shirt – half Armagh orange and half in Galway claret – in recognition of the toddler’s dual GAA heritage.
Family photo‘I can’t win’
Reayah may have been hedging her bets with her two-tone top on Sunday, but she had to watch the match without her dad.
Having been surrounded by excited Armagh fans for the past few weeks, Lynsey said her partner headed back to Galway to watch the final with his own tribe.
“I can’t win,” he protested, explaining the uncomfortable situation he would be in if he stayed to watch the match in Lurgan.
“If Armagh win I’ll be sitting here like an imp while they’re all cheering,” he said.
But if Galway were to win, Mickey said he wouldn’t feel able to celebrate properly while everyone around him was miserable.
But it was not only the children who were getting excited – there were a few members of the clergy quite literally praying for a win for the Orchard county.
Sunday’s 11:30 BST Mass in St Teresa’s in Loughgilly in south Armagh was cancelled – with an additional Saturday night vigil service instead.
The parish bulletin stated that the reason for the change was, you guessed it, the All-Ireland final.
The priest, Fr Malachy Murphy, posted a message on Facebook on Saturday evening offering a blessing “upon all those travelling to the All-Ireland final tomorrow and to those who are preparing to bring the Sam home to Armagh”.