Revealed: Here's when the homecoming for Skibbereen's Olympic rowers will take place
Crombie O'donovan Picture: Gold Fintan Inpho/james Mccarthy Celebrate Medals Paul With And Their
After gold in the rivers of Paris, there will be celebrations on the banks of Skibbereen when the town's Olympic heroes are welcomed back on September 1.
The West Cork town's gold medalists, Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, as well as fellow Olympians Aoife Casey and Emily Hegarty, will be welcomed home with an open top bus parade through the town on Sunday week.
O'Donovan and McCarthy won back-to-back gold in the lightweight double sculls at the Paris Games, making history as the last winner of the event. It is to be replaced by coastal rowing at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
O'Donovan made further history with the victory in Paris, becoming the first Irish athlete in any sport to win a medal in three successive Olympics.
The homecoming may well have been sooner but for the fact that O'Donovan went from Paris to Canada for the World Championships. Last weekend, he qualified for the lightweight single sculls semi-final on Friday.
Casey, meanwhile, came fifth in the women’s lightweight double sculls with Rochestown woman Margaret Cremen. Hegarty secured a seventh-place finish in the women's four alongside Natalie Long, Eimear Lambe and Imogen Magner.
The homecoming event will kick off with the parade at 3pm. Dominic Casey, the acclaimed coach from Skibbereen, will join the rowers on the bus which will be led by St Fachtna's Silver Band and members of the town's rowing club.
Youngsters from various local sports clubs will also march in the parade to "celebrate the role of sport" in the community and to highlight "the importance of dreaming big".
It will be followed by a gathering at the Fairfield where the Olympians will be interviewed by RTÉ Sports' Jacquie Hurley.
After not being able to host a proper celebration in 2021 when O'Donovan and McCarthy won gold in Tokyo due to covid restrictions, the town will be in a celebratory mood. The "family event" is being organised by Skibbereen Rowing Club, the town's Chamber of Commerce and Cork County Council.
Cork county lord mayor Joe Carroll said the four Olympians have brought "fame and glory to their club, town, county and country". "This occasion is particularly special as we missed the celebration of Olympic medals in 2021, and I am looking forward to a great event which they truly deserve."
A collection of the latest sports news, reports and analysis from Cork.