City trumpets arrival of Grand Slam legends

THE Triple Crown, the Six Nations trophy, a boxful of specially commissioned medals and, as if there wasn’t enough silverware flying, music from silver plated trumpets.

It was all part of a gleaming ceremony in the shamelessly modern atrium of Cork County Hall yesterday afternoon when city and county councillors came together to host the Irish rugby team. It took Ireland’s first Grand Slam victory in 61 years for the urban and rural politicians to hold a joint ceremony – and there wasn’t a local election poster in sight.

Looking like Eurovision entrants among their sober-suited county counterparts, city councillors came through the swing doors of County Hall wearing their ceremonial red and green robes.

Then, as hundreds of staff looked down from the foyer’s sweeping mezzanine, Ronan O’Gara and Rory Best walked the red carpet, clutching the Triple Crown, while the Concord Brass quintet played Henry Purcell’s Trumpet Tune.

Then followed the Six Nations trophy, as everyone risked whiplash, craning their necks to glimpse captain Brian O’Driscoll but neither he nor Lions caption Paul O’Connell were anywhere to be seen.

Rumour had it that they were doing good work elsewhere, trying to ensure that embattled Munster forward Alan Quinlan would retain his Lions’ tour placing.

As chirpy as a chipmunk and proudly boasting his Presentation Brothers College school tie, Cork’s Lord Mayor Cllr Brian Bermingham praised the Irish team for giving us “reason to cheer in difficult times”. His less frenetic colleague, county mayor Noel Harrington, described Ireland’s Grand Slam success as one of the greatest moments in Irish sport and suggested that, just as the Irish soccer team heralded the arrival of the Celtic Tiger in the 1990s, the victorious rugby boys might assist its resuscitation. “Maybe this could be the beginning of a turn- around of our fortunes,” he said.

As the team lined up to receive their medals, Marcus Horan’s chair went missing and it looked like Denis Leamy had nicked it but even Horan wouldn’t argue with Ireland’s No 8. Then in a blind-side piece of magic, the chair suddenly reappeared.

Sensing the jocular mood, head coach Declan Kidney made a mock complaint that he had only been asked to speak an hour before but then drew the best laugh of the day when he declared that “whoever pulled off the stroke of bringing city and county councillors together deserves a PhD”.

He didn’t quite get the reception enjoyed by Bertie O’Hanlon, though, one of the six surviving members of the team that last won the Grand Slam in 1948. “I call them juniors,” said O’Hanlon, turning to the 2009 team behind him. “I was privileged to be in Cardiff to see them win and delighted to be alive to see it.” His short and unrehearsed speech got not one but two standing ovations.

Even the seated Grand Slam winners all rose to their feet – a salute from the juniors to the senior among them.