Athletes hailed for exceptional medal haul

Home are the heroes, a bit later than expected.

Ireland’s record-breaking Paralympics team arrived home last night to a tumultuous welcome, capping a historic campaign that secured 16 medals, half of them gold. With that amount of metal, God knows how long it took them to get through the airport scanners in London.

Cityjet flight AF5119 touched down almost an hour behind schedule at a damp and murky Dublin Airport, but it was the only time the squad has lagged the pace after a sensational Games which has prompted many to dub them the most successful Irish sports team of all time.