Road closures and diversions in place as Ireland prepares for Olympic homecoming
Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan receives his gold medal during the ceremony for the men’s pommel horse final during the Artistic Gymnastics at the Bercy Arena on the eighth day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France. Picture: Peter Byrne/PA
Ireland will today welcome home its 133 athletes from Paris, after it had the most successful Olympic Games in the state’s history.
The athletes will take part in a celebratory homecoming in Dublin city later today to mark Ireland’s biggest medal haul.
Dublin City Council is organising an event in front of the GPO on O’Connell Street to celebrate their success.
The event is fully free and no ticketing is required.
In order to facilitate the event, there will be a road closure on O'Connell Street in operation from 10:30am to 5:30pm.
A single lane will remain open on the street from 5am to 10:30am and again from 5:30pm to 10:30pm.
The LUAS Green line will be closed on O’Connell Street from 10:30am, and the LUAS Red line will be closed from Abbey Street to Jervis Street from the same time.
Elsewhere, access to the Arnott's car park will be limited during today's event.
Northbound traffic will be diverted onto Eden Quay, Gardiner Street Lower, and Parnell Street.
Southbound traffic will be diverted off O'Connell Street and onto Cathal Brugha Street.
There will be an option to turn onto Marlborough Street or Gardiner Street Lower and onto Eden Quay.
A total of 64 women and 69 men competing for Team Ireland across 14 sports, won seven medals in total at the Paris games.
Four gold medals were won across various events.
Daniel Wiffen, 23, won gold in the men’s 800 metres final and also took a bronze in the men’s 1500 metres final.
Rhys McClenaghan, 25 and from Co Down, won gold in the pommel horse final, in what he called his “redemption story”.
Three athletes retained their Olympic titles from the Tokyo games: Skibbereen rowers Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy in the men’s lightweight double sculls; and Dubliner Kellie Harrington in the women’s 60kg boxing event.
Mona McSharry, from Co Sligo, won a bronze medal in the 100 metre breaststroke, while rowers Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch also won bronze.
Minister for Sport Catherine Martin and Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education Thomas Byrne will later welcome the athletes.
Ms Martin said: “Team Ireland has made the nation so proud, our most successful team ever at an Olympic Games.
“Over these past few weeks, thousands of Irish supporters travelled to France to loudly cheer on the team and it was clear that our athletes greatly appreciated this support.
“Back home in Ireland, there has also been great support for our athletes every step of the way.
“I want to congratulate everyone who has been involved in this endeavour from the athletes to the coaches, the sporting bodies, the Olympic Federation through to the Sport Ireland Institute and beyond.
“This success has been a credit to our athletes’ dedication, and the support of their families, coaches and communities.
“This fantastic achievement also demonstrates the value of the continued and sustained investment into our sporting system.
“We have invested at all levels, from the high performance system right on down to the grassroots community level and we will continue to build on that investment in the years to come, to provide our athletes with the support they deserve.”
Mr Byrne said: “We sent our biggest ever team to the Paris Games, and they have returned with our greatest ever medal haul.
“That is an outstanding achievement and I want to congratulate each member of Team Ireland on their performance.
“We have seen national records set in sports like athletics and swimming.
“We have reached finals and the latter stages in sports and disciplines where we have never been in serious contention before.
“This has been a terrific Olympic Games for Ireland.
“I also want to thank the French people for hosting such a fantastic Games.
“What we have seen in Paris represents the very best of a strong Irish sports system that is delivering for a diversity of sports.
“I want to offer my sincere thanks to the team behind Team Ireland, from family members and friends, to volunteers and supporters, along with countless more.
“I also want to recognise and commend the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Sport Ireland and my department for their dedicated work in supporting our high performance athletes and sporting community.”
