Tyrone make triumphant return home

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• Nine News: Eimear Lowe reports that thousands turned out for celebrations as the new All-Ireland football champions, Tyrone, returned home
• Six One News: Eamon Horan reports on the celebrations as the new All-Ireland football champions, Tyrone, begin their triumphant homecoming in Aughnacloy

Several thousand Tyrone fans turned out in Aughnacloy and Omagh to welcome home the new All-Ireland football champions.

Sunday's triumph over Kerry was the sweetest of the three achieved by the Red Hands this decade, and their supporters made their message of approval loud and clear to their returning heroes.

After arriving in an open-topped bus, from a lorry in the small frontier town, the Tyrone players and management acknowledged the adulation channelled in their direction by thousands of flag-waving fans.

Manager Mickey Harte told the crowd that he wants to see his Tyrone team record another first by successfully defending the All-Ireland title, an objective they failed to achieve after the triumphs of 2003 and '05.

'It's great to be back here, it's great to have got a reception of this nature. It shows that there's a great desire for success in this county, and as you know, there's a great desire for success in these players.

'That's why we get the occasion to come together here every couple of years. Now the ambition is to make it every year, not every couple of years,' said Harte.

The crowd observed a minute's silence in memory of John Devine Senior, whose death on Saturday caused goalkeeper John Junior to miss the All-Ireland final.

And in a further mark of respect, a planned stop in Ballygawley, home to the Devine family, was cancelled.

Mickey Harte and Enda McGinley are also from Ballygawley, and clubmates of John Devine at Errigal Ciaran.

The final leg of this mini-tour of the county brought the team coach to Healy Park in Omagh, the place where Tyrone's Ulster Championship challenge started to fall apart earlier this summer.

This was the scene of the Red Hands' Anglo-Celt Cup draw with Down, who subsequently won the replay at Pairc Esler.

From the wreckage of that dismal day in the Marshes, Mickey Harte somehow found a way to renew the spirit within the souls of his players, and a remarkable journey ended in stunning success in Dublin on Sunday.

Last night Healy Park and its inhabitants rejoiced at the awesome accomplishment of the newly crowned All-Ireland champions, and in particular at the huge role played by Omagh's own McMahon brothers, Joe and Justin, who snuffed out the threat of Kerry's 'twin towers' with a tumultuous defensive double act.

Team captain Brian Dooher told the fans he could scarcely believe that Tyrone had achieved another All-Ireland title, their third in the space of just six seasons.

'On behalf of this Tyrone team I’d like to thank you for all your support throughout the year, especially you people who have followed us from the Down match on.

'Early on in May, things didn't look so good, but thankfully the boys stuck at it.

It's very hard to believe we're back here again, and we have a lot of people to thank for it, Mickey (Harte) amongst others.'

County chairman Pat Darcy told the players they had generated a great sense of pride among the GAA fraternity throughout the county.

'It's great to see Sam back in Tyrone. Mickey Hare and the Tyrone team did us all very proud yesterday.

'They fought hard and they won fair and square, and they will go down in history now as the third time to have brought Sam to Tyrone,' said Darcy. 'We're very proud of this team and very proud of Mickey Harte.'

Darcy also asked for, and received, a rousing round of applause for the beaten Kerry team.