Volunteers and mayors say goodbye to Irish fans... Do we have to leave?

Girls were kissed, faces and even rear ends were painted, and despite all the beer and the match beatings, Poznan will be sorry to see the back of the Irish.

It’s been emotional, even for the stoic Poles who pulled out all the stops to give the Irish a farewell to remember. You had to look very hard to find an Italian in Poznan — and they had something to play for.

If the team didn’t manage to give us much to cheer about, the people of Poznan made damn sure we had a good time.