'We’re a mighty nation': Thousands welcome Olympic heroes back to Dublin 

Gold medal winner Harrington’s parents were among the families who gathered outside the GPO on O’Connell Street draped in tricolour flags.

Children held signs celebrating Harrington’s second gold medal and one girl was seen holding an “I heart Mona” banner to celebrate swimmer McSharry’s bronze medal.

Others sat in windowsills and looked out from above rooftops to catch a glimpse of the celebration.

Ireland won seven medals in total at the Paris Games — four gold and three bronze. It proved to be the country's most successful Olympics in history. 

Harrington described the support of her home country as “just fantastic”.

Addressing the crowd, Harrington said: “This is absolutely amazing for absolutely every one of the athletes here on Team Ireland who give their everything day in, day out. To have the support of this nation for all of us, from the bottom of every one of our hearts, it really does mean the world to us.

“That’s whether we win, we lose, we draw, to have you all there to pick us up, to dust us off and to help us go again. That’s what matters, so thank you.” 

Asked if she can comprehend the impact on the nation, she said: “This is sport. We forget about absolutely everything and we just do what we have to do in sport.

“We’re a small nation but we’re a mighty nation, and we’ll fight and we’ll keep on fighting. That’s the way we are. That’s why we are who we are.”

Fellow gold medallists Fintan McCarthy, Rhys McClenaghan and Daniel Wiffen also took to the stage alongside bronze medallists Mona McSharry, Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle.

Skibbereen native McCarthy said his Olympic journey was “surreal”, adding: “I just trained really hard and managed to get two of these (gold medals).” 

He teased that he and his gold medal partner Paul O’Donovan could join Lynch and Doyle for a four-man rowing event at the 2028 Olympics.

Wiffen, the 800m freestyle swimming champion who also won a bronze medal in the 1500m race, said: “I definitely felt the whole country backing me going into it.” 

He predicted that he and his twin brother Nathan would win gold and silver in the same event at the 2028 games in Los Angeles.

McSharry described her participation as a “dream come true”, adding: “All the hard work paid off and I got to experience something so magical.”

The Taoiseach said that “very little work” had been done in the country during the Paris Games as people went “hoarse” from cheering on Irish athletes.

Speaking on the stage, Simon Harris said that the Irish team inspired children around Ireland.

“I’m so delighted about today that the athletes and their families who’ve been away in Paris are getting to see what it’s like because up until now, they’ve been somewhat in the Olympic bubble," the Taoiseach said.

“But they’re back here today realising that this whole country – 5.6 million of us – have been cheering them on.

“We’ve been hoarse from cheering them on, and today we got a chance to say one amazing thing to them: ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.'”