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 14 September 2004 By Dan Collins and Brendan Larkin Irish Examiner | |||
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A RED tide swept along the banks of the Lee last night as 50,000 Cork hurling fans converged on the city centre to welcome home the All-Ireland champions.
Even if the cold rain had not held off, no single act of God or man could have dampened the spirits of last night's Leeside revellers.
By 8pm, Cork's South Mall had filled from top to bottom with what looked like the entire Croke Park attendance for Sunday's unforgettable clash with Kilkenny.
They were there to see the returning conquerors and to witness the hoisting of the most prized piece of silverware in hurling the Liam McCarthy Cup.
The Cork city journey in an open top bus was slow as thousands of supporters lined the route westwards from the station to Parnell Place.
Garda sources estimated 50,000 people had assembled at the junction of the South Mall and Parnell Place as the triumphant team was introduced to the masses by their captain Ben O'Connor.
The biggest cheers were reserved for wing back Sean Ó Óg hAilpín and Joe Deane, who was met with the cry, Deane-O!
O'Connor referred to the defeat of 2003 and said a commitment was given to take the title the following year.
"We have honoured that commitment by our victory on Sunday, and while it was the players who were responsible, you, our supporters must also take some of the credit, because ye stuck with us through thick and thin, and this victory is as much for you as it is for us the players."
Reflecting on the victory, Coach Donal O'Grady said: "It was very emotional for all of us when we got on the bus and saw the massive crowd. It brought home to us what it means to the people of Cork.
"The support for this particular group of players over the last three years has been phenomenal and we I would like to think we have repaid their faith is us with this latest victory."
Among the guest speakers was Lord Mayor of Cork Sean Martin who said the victory was one for courage, commitment and skill.
"Ye have been great ambassadors for the county and have brought tremendous joy to both young and old, and I would like to heartily congratulate everybody involved with this latest success," he said.
Other speakers included the chairman of Cork County Council, Cllr Paddy Sheehan, the Bishop of Cork John Buckley, Catherine Tierney, head of marketing for team sponsors O2, and Jim Forbes, chairman of the County Board.
"We knew we would get a warm welcome, but we weren't expecting anything like this," said the Newtownshandrum captain Ben O'Connor.
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