The Blarney Army, last seen cavorting in the Caribbean sun, were out in force at Dublin airport yesterday to welcome home the Ireland cricket team after their extraordinary World Cup adventure.
About 250 family, friends and well-wishers lined barriers in the arrivals hall, as the team emerged to tears and cheers, accompanied by roars of "Ireland, Ireland", their unofficial anthem.
Against this colourful backdrop, team captain Trent Johnston and coach Adrian Birrell received an official welcome from Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue, along with chief executive of the Irish Sports Council John Treacy and Irish Cricket Union president Tom Pryor.
"It's been a dream come true," said Johnston, his young son on his shoulders. "It's hard to believe how far we've come."
"To be on the road for such a long time and then get a welcome like this is amazing," said Adrian Birrell, the South African who has retired, having been national coach for the past five years.
Ahead lie further media commitments including an appearance on RTÉ's Late, Late Showon Friday and an invitation to meet the Rev Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, who issued a joint statement of congratulations last week.
When the Ireland team left for Jamaica in mid-March, it was to little fanfare and with comparably modest ambitions. They return having confounded expectations and the scepticism of the broader international cricketing community. They now stand 10th in the ICC official world rankings, having beaten Pakistan and Bangladesh in recent weeks.
Beyond that they added some much-needed colour to a tournament bedevilled by negative headlines and administrative failings.
Mr O'Donoghue was keen to add the Government's weight to future plans and promised to support a new international cricket ground in this country.
"It is important that Government recognises this marvellous achievement," the Minister told The Irish Times. "We have to sit down an talk to the cricket family in Ireland. I understand they have some plans of their own and maybe we can help them with those.
"We've always supported cricket through sports council grants and the sports capital programme," he continued. "Moving forward is important as they are attracting high-class teams and they need to be able to cater for greater numbers of spectators."
Ireland are due to host the West Indies, India and South Africa over the summer and their new status has opened the door to the potentially lucrative prospect of playing regularly on cricket's international circuit.