Irish President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to Team Ireland on their outstanding performance at the London Paralympic Games.

Paralympics Ireland will hold a celebration today to recognise the outstanding achievements of Darragh McDonald, Jason Smyth, Catherine Walsh, Francine Meehan and Helen Kearney in winning medals over the weekend.

This was the weekend that kept on giving for Team Ireland as our Paralympians lifted the country’s medal haul to a magnificent seven.

For Michael McKillop, it began with a Nutella sandwich and ended with dessert.

President Michael D Higgins has said that Ireland’s medal-winning Paralympians are a symbol of the team’s determination.

President Michael D Higgins is leading the tributes to members of the Irish Paralympic team on their "outstanding" medal-winning performances at the London games.

Ireland’s Jason Smyth produced a performance training partner Tyson Gay would have been proud of by retaining his Paralympic 100 metres title in a new world record.

Four dreamlike weeks have slipped through London’s fingers since Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford delivered three gold medals on a never-to-be-forgotten night at the Olympic Stadium that was, inevitably, dubbed Super Saturday.

Ireland’s medal-winning Paralympic team got a heroes welcome tonight as they touched down on home soil clutching a haul of medals.

Irish teenage swimming sensation, 14-year-old Darragh McDonald has won Paralympic silver Ireland in the 400m freestyle (S6 class) in the Water Cube in Beijing.

Ireland’s flag bearer, six-time Paralympian Patrice Dockery, proudly led the 45-strong Irish team along with team staff into Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium today at opening ceremony of the 13th Paralympic Games.