Ireland’s Paralympic heroes already looking to next goals

It was well before noon when the thick layer of green began to form.

The Irish Paralympic team wasn’t due through the arrivals gate at Dublin Airport for well over another hour but relatives and friends eager to bring a month-long separation to a close had soon colonised the meet-and-greet hall in Terminal 1.

An explosion of emotion greeted the first tracksuits as they finally dragged bags, 11 medals and countless tired minds and bodies into view after a two-day transatlantic journey from Rio de Janeiro and a lifetime of highs and lows.