Rio 2016 has been a memorable affair.
From the scandal to the heartache to the joy, it’s certainly one we’ll be talking about for years to come.
And what would it have been without the smiley happy duo of joy that is the O'Donovan brothers. The brothers were the first of the Irish cohort to win a medal when they finished second in the men's double sculls.
It wasn’t just their athletic prowess that quickly made them firm favourites of Olympics viewers, but also their brilliantly grounded, unaffected media appearances afterwards.
They gifted us with some amazing one-liners and inspired a diet of shteak and spuds.
Now the boys are coming home and thousands are expected to flock to their hometown in celebration.
Speaking to Cork 96FM’s The Score, Paul said:
“It’ll be massive, I tell ya – put an extension on to the town for the night, we’re a bit worried about what’s going to happen.”
“We’ll take it as it comes, sure it'll all be a bit of craic anyway and hopefully everyone will enjoy it, and there’ll be some kids out that’ll enjoy it as well and they might take away something for future years as well, get a bit of inspiration you know?”
“That’s what it’s all about, really.”
Crowds gathered at Cork airport tonight as the boys touched down for the first time.
While the details of the full celebrations in Skibb tomorrow are scarce, a welcome parade will start with An open-top bus taking Gary and Paul and their coach Dominic Casey along the Cork Rd, into North St and then turning right onto Main St before arriving at the Fairfield.
