There were emotional scenes in Sydney Airport this morning as the Irish team arrived in the city for their opening World Cup game against Australia tomorrow.
Between 100 and 200 fans, friends and family took over part of the airport's arrival hall as the girls in green touched down in Australia's biggest city.
Wearing jerseys, flags, shamrock zogabongs and even a costume of St Patrick, they sang 'olé olé' as they waited for the team, while toddlers in Ireland kits with shamrocks painted on their face played football on the airport floor.
When the team eventually came through there was cheering, singing and warm embraces with family members as players stopped to sign autographs and film the scenes that greeted them on their own phones.
Amber Barrett's father Sean was one of the first to grab his daughter for a hug.
He is one of a number of her family and friends who have travelled from Milford in Co Donegal to see her playing in the World Cup
"It's massively exciting I suppose for everybody involved and for the whole country," Sean said.
"To be here now, in the World Cup, in a ladies World Cup, it's massive.
"Myself and my son Cian from the immediate family are here.
"I have two nieces out and a cousin over in Perth and another cousin coming to Sydney for the game tomorrow. Friends are over as well."
Asked if he ever imagined that he would be watching his daughter in a Women’s World Cup, he admitted he did not think it was possible.
"I suppose at the time it's something that players dream of but you don't really think that’s going to be a reality," Sean said.
"I don't think anybody did, particularly if you look back at 2017 the way things were.
"Now thankfully we've come a long long way and it's brilliant for football, it's brilliant for sports, for ladies sports and all sports in the country. It’s a massive thing so it is."
But is he nervous for his daughter as she prepares to play in front a crowd of more than 80,000?
"I'm not nervous for her, no," Sean said.
"I would have huge belief in her. I’m looking forward to it. I hope she gets game time and hopefully she gets a chance and she takes her chances. That’s what we’re looking forward to."
'She's a leader and a great motivator'
Ireland captain Katie McCabe was met by dad Gary, mam Sharon and her brother Shane who has been travelling around Australia with his girlfriend.
With tears in his eyes, Gary spoke about his pride in his daughter.
"It's an honour to be here," he said. "It's a thing I didn't think I'd ever be here for.
"The team has been progressing so well over the last few years. It's been a hard slog, but it's just great to be here and as she walks out on the pitch tomorrow, I'll shed a tear and a lump will come in my throat and I'll just have to go somewhere so nobody can see me cry.
"It’s a special moment. I've been following her since she was five. I’ve seen most of her matches, bringing her here, there and everywhere.
"It's really been an honour to follow her, to be in her life. It's been, from the time she was a kid, to where she is now, and what she is now and who she is now.
"She's a leader and a great motivator as well for people on the pitch."
The rest of the 11 McCabe siblings and their offspring will be watching the game from the parent's house in Kilnamanagh, Tallaght.
"They're all having a party day with bouncy castles for all the grandkids and all that so that’s how they will be celebrating this," Sean said.
Katie’s younger brother Shane missed out on some of the build up in Ireland while down under, but he said he always believed this day would come
"I'm very very proud of her," Shane said.
"I grew up playing football and I always always knew she was going to be a superstar because the way she could just hold herself off against other boys, play against other boys.
"It was just like night and day like. I'd say when we were kids, 'What team are you going to play for?’ because I just knew, I could see it in her so I'm very proud and I think I was right as well.
"I've been living in Australia the past few years, so I've been just seeing on the media how big she's getting, all the articles and how far she's come. So yeah, it's amazing."
'Nothing could be better'
And the family reunions were not the only moments of emotion.
Ann Foley from Longford has travelled with her husband to the Women’s World Cup to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.
They are also meeting up with their niece who has taken a break from her farm work to fly to Sydney to be at tomorrow's game.
She fought back tears as she described her joy at being there.
"We wanted to do something really special and when the team qualified we said nothing could be better than following them," Ms Foley said.
"They really deserve it. They're a lovely bunch girls, we're delighted for them.
"I’m really really excited, emotional nearly, because I played with girls years ago and they are no longer here. So for all those I am excited.
"I'm so pleased that women have finally come where they deserve to be I'm delighted."
'It doesn't get much bigger'
Also with tears in her eyes was Roisin De Burca, who is originally from Galway but has lived in Sydney for the past decade.
She brought her daughter to the airport to greet the team, some of whom she knows well through her sister Meabh De Burca who earned over 50 caps for Ireland before her retirement in recent years.
She was overcome with emotion as she reacted to the scenes in the airport
"It's pretty incredible to have seen," Ms De Burca said.
"You know, we all would have knocked the ball around and there was nowhere for us to go with it.
"To think how far they've come in a decade when they were changing in the bathrooms and so on, it's great to see just the support and the facilities that they now have access to.
"Living in Sydney and to be here to be able to be so proud of the country you're from, to be playing against your adopted country. It doesn't get much bigger.
"The opening game of a World Cup. It's just gonna be incredible. It's moments like this that you know, as an expat living abroad, you just, you can't describe this."
'Her Italia 90'
Gavin Blake from Lusk in north Co Dublin has travelled to Australia with his ten-year-old daughter for the tournament. He said he hopes this will be 'her Italia 90'.
"Saoirse plays football and I'm a coach for Lusk and Vera Pauw came out to the club just before Christmas," Mr Blake said.
"We had a great experience with Vera Pauw and started the talk, and what a great occasion it would be and we've lots of family over here, so we decided to come over and follow the girls in green.
"This is her Italia 90. Female sports is developing at the moment, it's just a phenomenal time and a privilege for me as a coach to be involved with female sport.
"So it was a no-brainer as soon as she wanted to go."
'It's sporting history'
Sarah Bohan and her wife Joanne Sinclair and their five-year-old twins Emily and Ben travelled from Perrystown in Dublin 12 to Australia, where they are talking in two Ireland games in Sydney and Brisbane.
"As soon as Amber Barrett put the ball in the back of the net in Scotland back in October we knew we had to be here," Sarah said.
"It's sporting history."
Joanne said she hopes to replicate her own World Cup memories here.
"I remember being a kid when I was in Orlando for the men's football world cup," she said.
"I just remember it being an amazing, amazing experience and just memories I have for a lifetime.
"So I'm just thrilled that we get to do this with our kids and with the girls. It's just fantastic."
Irish in Australia
It is expected Irish people living in Australia will make up a substantial part of the support for the Irish team in Stadium Australia.
Deirdre Berry, originally from Ballyboughal in north county Dublin, and now living outside Sydney let her son Conor have a morning off school to greet the girls in green
They are among the 80,000 who have managed to get a ticket for tomorrow's game.
"Everyone's dying to get tickets, there's huge hype," she said.
"The interest level, I mean we've had the Irish cricket team out lately and it kind of went under the radar.
"This is not going under the radar. This is big. I can’t wait. It's gonna be unreal.
"We couldn't even get jerseys in the sports store here because they're sold out.
"It's a big stadium, the noise in there, it's like a cauldron when we get going. It's going to be loud. It's gonna be very loud."
Eleven-year-old Conor is Australian born but with Irish blood. So who will he support tomorrow?
"A bit of both," he said.
And what does he think his first World Cup game will be like?
"I reckon a lot of people will like a few beers there," he said. "It will be very noisy. But a good game."
