Miriam Lord in BordeauxThey appeared out of nowhere yesterday morning. Thousands upon thousands of Irish supporters, laying siege to the bars and the brasseries with noisy good humour on a sleepy Bordeaux Sunday.
It hadn't seemed possible on Saturday night, when a decent crowd arrived in the city to take the bare look off proceedings. But it was hardly a green invasion.
The Irish pubs did a roaring trade when fans switched codes for the evening and piled in to watch the soccer from Slovakia. But up until then, there had been a distinct lack of Irish jerseys about the place.
Earlier talk of up to 25,000 fans swamping the place seemed wildly off the mark. Or so it seemed, until the cavalry arrived in force, and fancy dress, at the last minute.
It was a gloriously sunny day. Spirits were high and a nice easy game against Namibia was in prospect. Just the ticket to ease the team and their supporters into the tournament.
So there was singing and dancing and a big welcome for the small contingent of Namibian supporters. Bless them for making the journey, and them about to be roasted with pepper and salt on the rugby field. Plucky little Namibia, still smiling when they are about to be thrashed.
But they were far from thrashed. The cocky Irish crowd were a little previous when they started up a Mexican wave just three minutes into the game.
The capacity of the Stade Chaban Delmas is just over 36,000. Few expected a full house for what was seen as a spot of routine target practice for Brian O'Driscoll and his team. But that was to underestimate the national appetite for a good day out abroad.
The ground was full, mostly with Irish fans. And Namibia gave them the fright of their lives. Mexican waves were forgotten in the second half, when the lowest rated team in world rugby came within 10 points of us and for a brief time, looked like they might even pull off an amazing victory.
But Ireland steadied the ship and ran out winners by 32 points to 17. And the fans went back to partying, a more chastened lot than came through the gates a couple of hours earlier.
The sense of affronted surprise at how things went was best summed up by a young blonde woman, calling home on her slim, pink, crystal-studded mobile phone: "Namibia, Dad. NAM-IB-I-A. Like, hello?"
The mood was wonderful in the city all afternoon, as locals watched the madcappery unfold with benign smiles and shouts of "Allez!" The police kept a discreet distance from the crowds, and twigged fairly quickly that they were not the fighting kind.
Eddie and Charlie O'Neill from Kilkee in Clare brought along their instruments and started a cracking traditional music session in Place St Pierre.
Stade Delmas is just a few stops from the centre on Bordeaux's equivalent of the Luas. Passengers bore the influx of the beery Irish with great forbearance, shoehorned with them into the boiling carriages as raucous rounds of "Ireland's Call" burst forth. "Bonne Chance!" they smiled with relief when the doors opened at the stadium and the hordes fell out.
The leprechauns were roaming in packs. A quartet of them from Swinford in Mayo, with Superman in tow, were in great demand for photo opportunities. Danny Roughneen, Enda Heaney - brother of former Mayo captain, David - James O'Connor and Philip Timoney were the leprechauns and Willie O'Connor was Superman.
They were feeling the heat in their costumes and sweating under their acrylic beards. "It's very difficult going to the toilet with the all-in-one suit," said one of them. "It's even worse for Superman." They'll love hearing that back in Ballina Rugby Club.
Meanwhile, the Duggans from Douglas in Cork had made a big effort on the hat front. Dad Neil was wearing a green and white Viking helmet type affair, mum Geraldine Blake opted for the traditional large leprechaun hat, Tom (13) sported plastic hair, Conor (10) had day-glo green tufts while Joe (7) went for a Stetson.
"This is our third world cup" said Geraldine, explaining they had been to two soccer world cups. And how does the rugby rate? "I prefer it, it to be honest. It's much friendlier."
Speaking of the soccer world cup, a throwback to those heady days in Japan appeared in the figure of Yugi Matsuo, a student from Nagoya. The student appeared in the crowd yesterday with both the Irish tricolour and the Japanese flag draped over his shoulders.
Yugi explained that he loves Ireland, but hadn't been able to get tickets all those years ago when the Irish soccer team was in Japan. He bought his tickets for the rugby online while at home in Japan, but he has since come to work on a temporary visa, while improving his English. Yugi is working in a sausage factory in Kildare. "The people are nice and the nature is very beautiful."
Elvis turned up, of course. Actually, there were two of him. Brothers Liam and Eoin Breathnach from Monkstown in Cork were in the full Las Vegas regalia, all flares and bling and big black hair.
Best of the bishop/St Patrick brigade was Dermot Keaney, who is a member of London Irish and lives in Brighton. He looked very impressive in his full canonicals, while his crozier incorporated snakes and a rugby ball. His brother Kevin from London only managed a mitre.
There were two brass bands entertaining the crowd, who needed no excuse to get up and dance. Then the musicians came into the stadium and played in the stands at opposite ends.
The mood was upbeat with the sun shining. The crowd rose when the team ran out. "Ireland's Call" was belted out, there were men in tears, punching the air. This was as good as it gets.
And then the game, and the big fright and the necessary win and the party.