The LÉ Niamh has returned home after a 61-day stint in the Mediterranean as part of Operation Sophia.
The vessel, along with its crew of 57, arrived into the Haulbowline naval base in Co Cork at 11am.
It is the first time the Irish Naval Service has participated in a UN mandated multi-national EU mission.
Dozens of family members gathered on the quay wall to greet them.
Able seaman Jordan Colbert surprised his long term partner Alison Pearsons and their two children Farah and Harrison with a marriage proposal, which she accepted.
Lieutenant Commander Stuart Armstrong said he and the crew were very proud of how they, and the ship, had performed as part of their first European Common Security & Defence Policy mission.
The crew rescued 613 people, including 164 children, but the emphasis was on surveillance and intelligence gathering on smugglers in order to try to disrupt trafficking networks in the Mediterranean and prevent further loss of life at sea.
The Irish Naval Service has rescued just over 18,000 migrants from the Mediterranean Sea since 2015.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
