Pictures: Tipp Olympians receive huge welcome at homecoming event

The Team Ireland Olympians who competed at the Paris Olympic Games were officially recognised last week at two separate events in Dublin.

President Michael D Higgins welcomed the Team Ireland athletes who competed in Paris to his home at Áras an an Uachtarain in the Phoenix Park, congratulating them for their inspirational performances.

Among those in attendance were Tipperary athletes Sharlene Mawdsley and Daire Lynch.

This was followed by an official reception organised by the Olympic Federation of Ireland in the Printworks building at Dublin Castle.

An Taoiseach, Simon Harris, and the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, recognised the athletes’ performances at the event that had almost 70 Paris Olympians present as well as their families and friends.

Before the Games, the number of athletes named by Ireland for the Olympic Games was 133, the final number of Olympians who competed for Team Ireland in the Paris Olympics rose to 136.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, and Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne TD, also attended the reception, taking part in a gifting ceremony to acknowledge the dedication and achievements of the athletes and their support team.

At the event, the performance staff and team behind the team, including the coaches, sports leadership, sports scientists, physiotherapists and medical professionals were recognised.

The media was also recognised at the event.
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Throughout the Games the media and rightsholders like RTÉ and BBCNI worked tirelessly to bring the games to life.

RTÉ provided 14 hours of coverage daily.

Accredited journalists and photographers from all the major media agencies together produced over 20,000 articles about Team Ireland at the Olympics.

Over 1.4m people tuned into RTÉ to watch Kellie Harrington win her second Olympic Gold Medal.

Almost a million people tuned in for Rhasidat Adeleke’s Women’s 400m Final, and the Final of the Women’s 4 x 400m Relay, performances that inspired the nation.

2024 was Team Ireland’s most successful Olympic Games, with seven medals won by six athletes across boxing, gymnastics, rowing and swimming.

An Taoiseach, Simon Harris said: "It gives me immense pride and joy to mark the outstanding achievements of our Team Ireland athletes at the Paris Olympics. The impact that you have had on the nation is immeasurable and it is an honour to meet once again with these inspirational athletes today.

"Each one of these athletes have lit a fire in the next generation and left a lasting legacy in Irish sport. We all watched on in awe at the talent and tenacity displayed throughout the games. To bring home our largest number of medals is the crowning achievement from the Paris Olympics."